The Way I Feel Inside
by rin-unnie
Summary: AU. Two best friends with a wild friendship full of love, lust and drama. Rated M for lemons and language. Read for the fluff. Stay for the sexual tension. First person narrative, a la Lucy.
1. Heartbreak

A/N: Hiya! Ya girl's back at it again with another Nalu drama/romance. This is rated M for lemons and language. Oh and some violence apparently. Please ride along for some juicy sexual tension and a story about two best friends and their strange friendship. (This is my first time writing a mature fic so I accept constructive criticism.) Also I also changed my pen name from Rin and Yuki to rin-unnie. Thank you and enjoy~ -Rin

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Chapter 1: Heartbreak

I took one last look in the reflection of the elevator doors to check my lip gloss. I was inside my boyfriend's apartment complex. To eager to see him after he had been gone for a whole week due to work. I was scheduled to go in to work today but I called out and wanted to surprise him. I stared at my outfit on the window reflection. I had a pink crop top and a black miniskirt with some black combat boots and small black leather backpack. My blonde hair was in my famous side ponytail adorned with a pink bow.

"It's not easy being so cute." I wink at myself as I walked out the elevator and towards his front door.

I let myself in through his front door with my spare key. His living room was dark. I noticed my usual slippers were missing and there were small white tennis shoes in the entrance.

Does he have friends over? I asked myself.

His bedroom light was off. So I figured he was asleep. I let myself in as I walked to the side of the bed at the body laying down covered in sheets. I'll just give him a quick kiss and then leave. He must be so tired; I thought to myself. I bent down and I was greeted by a head with a matted mess of black hair.

What the fuck.

My boyfriend was a blond. Who the hell is this. I uncovered a naked body of a woman, she was only wearing undergarments.

Oh my god. I don't know who's face was redder, me or the unsuspecting woman before me. She awoke startled. I stared in disbelief at the scene before me. Next to this woman was my boyfriend's naked body. He was in his underwear.

"Who the fuck are you? Laxus what's the meaning of this?!" I don't know what came over me but my blood was boiling.

He finally awoke too. His mouth agape and his eyes were bloodshot.

"Who the hell are you, bitch?" The girl spoke.

"Lucy, I can explain." He was still half asleep in a face of awe. "Oh shit." He rubbed his eyes.

"Who the fuck do you think you are to call me a bitch?" I yell. "Laxus, you fucking asshole. You're going to pay!" I climbed over the bed and punched him in the face. Knocking over the black haired girl with my elbow. He laid there in the bed in shock. His arms trying to protect himself as I kept swinging my own.

"Get off him!" The girl screamed as she tugged at my ponytail. Now I was seething with rage.

"Don't you dare touch me!" I go at the brunette and punched her in the face.

She began to swing back. I grabbed a wad of her hair and hit the side of her head. I was on top of her now, my arms flying at her.

"Stop it, you animal!" She punched me back.

"Lucy stop! Get off her!" Laxus got off the bed now as he carried me away from her. "Just please go!" He begged. He was a lot taller than I was. His strong arms constricting me.

"Let me go!" I thrashed my legs and hit him where I wanted.

He grunted as he let me go and I fell to my knees. He bent down and placed his hands on his crotch. I was ashamed at this point. I was ashamed at how I reacted. I was ashamed at how I could be so stupid. I felt my rage subsiding. I sat on the floor with my head down.

"Seriously, Laxus this is not worth this shit." The black haired girl began to dress herself. Her hair was a matted mess and she was bleeding from her face. I hadn't realized how bad I let my rage get the better of me.

"Hey wait-" He grunted still crouching on the floor.

As she walked out I noticed bruises on her arm. The door slammed and it was silent. Tears escaped from my eyes.

"You are such a piece of shit. Is this because I wouldn't sleep with you?" I sniffled as I tried to get up. "I told you I wasn't ready yet. Was I a joke to you? Huh?!"

Laxus held me by my ankle.

"I just- Lucy I-" He croaked. He was sitting on the floor next to me now.

"Fuck you, Laxus." I cried as I got up. Tears were streaming down my face. I was a pathetic mess.

"Yeah, like you're so innocent. You hang around with that friend of yours thinking I would never get suspicious! I'm not stupid, Lucy!"

"What the fuck are you even talking about?! He's my best friend, you dick!"

I ran out his apartment. I caught my reflection on the elevator door, this time my hair was a mess and I had a bruise under my eye. My arms had scratches. I stood there crying. How could he do this to me? Did two years of being together meant nothing to him?

I searched through my backpack and took out my phone and I speed dialed one.

Ring Ring.

"Hey Natsu. Can you come pick me up please I-" I let out a loud cry.

"Lucy, what's wrong? Where are you?"

"I'm at Laxus'. Please come get me."

"I'm coming now. Wait for me."

I sat at the front of the building. I was crouching down. Tears still streaming down my face.

A red truck pulled up to the side of the building. It was Natsu. He got out of the truck and ran to me. He was in his work clothes.

"I came here as soon as you called me. What happened?!" He stood there with his hand out to help me up. He was uneasy.

I got up and hugged him. I cried harder as I felt the comfort of my friend.

"It's Laxus. He- he was cheating on me!" I buried my face in his chest while I wept.

"What a fucking asshole! He's going to pay!" He hugged me and eyed my face. "Did he hit you? What happened?"

"I got into a fight with the other girl." I looked down.

"Oh, you crazy girl. I didn't think you had that in you." He was shocked.

"I'm so sorry. I stained your shirt." I sniffled as I tried to wipe it with my hand. His once white button down shirt was now stained with my make up.

"It's okay. Don't worry about it. Do you feel better after letting it out?" He looked at me with a concerned look. He was concerned but his eyes were shooting flames.

"Let's just go." I gave him a defeated sigh.

"Here, take my keys and wait for me in the car."

"Where are you going?" I pleaded.

"To get your shoes." He smiled as he pointed at my feet. My once white socks were covered in dirt.

"Oh." I blushed. I can't believe I walked out without my shoes.

Oh no. He's going to confront him. Oh my god.

"Natsu wait! Just leave them please-" He was already in the building.

It was an excruciating wait. Should I intervene? It's been more than 10 minutes. I glanced at the car dashboard clock. I stared out at the front of the building waiting for Natsu to return.

15 minutes.

I catch a glimpse of his pink hair coming out of the front door. His sleeves were folded to his elbows and his buttons on his shirt were off. He had his scarf in his hand and my boots in the other. I stare at his face, he had bruises on his face. But he was surprising calm. He sat at the driver side and handed me my shoes. I stared at his wounds.

"Natsu, you dummy. Why would you go so far for me?!" I sobbed and hit him on the chest.

"Ouch." He grunted. "Because you're my best friend, Lucy." He said with a toothy grin.


	2. Friendship

A/N: Hi. There are a few things you will encounter in this particular chapter. While this fic is entirely Lucy's POV. I honestly suck at writing third person narratives.. But I want you guys to get a feel of what goes on in Natsu's head. PLUS I know we were all dying to know about Laxus' and Natsu's confrontation. Laxus was just a back up character to get the story going. I needed a hot badass to break my girl's heart in order to progress. But he will not appear later or anything. Anyway, Natsu's snippets are italicized and in parenthesis. These will be included throughout the entire story. Also, I included flashbacks, moments of their friendship when they were younger, in this chapter that are also italicized but they each have their respective notes. Just thought I'd point it out in case you were to get confused. :) -Rin

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Chapter 2: Friendship

"Holy shit. What happened to you two?!" Juvia, our roommate, yelled out. She was in the living room as she saw us walk in. We both looked like we had been dragged by a truck.

"Long story." Natsu huffed.

"We got into a fight." I revealed.

"Well did you guys at least win?" She asked enthusiastically.

"Oh yeah!" Natsu and I said in unison. He laughed and I smiled.

I looked at my face in the mirror clearly now. My eyes were bloodshot and my face was red from crying so much. I had a bruise on my cheek and two scratches on my arm. My once perky ponytail was droopy and hair was coming out the sides. I tended my wounds. I was disappointed in myself for letting myself get so angry. I was never one to curse or fight. I also never wanted to involve Natsu. I felt tears falling down my cheeks again. I sniffled.

"Hey hurry up already, you bathroom hog!" Natsu yelled out from the hallway. I guess he heard my cries.

"Come." I opened the door. "Sit." I motioned toward the toilet seat.

He obeyed with a concerned look.

I grabbed a cotton ball with alcohol and began to pat it on the bruise on his forehead.

"Ouch." He flinched.

"Sit still." I lifted his face and applied a bandage on a cut on his chin. "What happened in there?" I asked.

"Don't worry about it." He grinned. "Just know I beat him up! He just managed to get a few punches in himself. But I showed him!"

"I'm so sorry." I looked down.

"You don't have to apologize. I asked for it!" He tried to cheer me up.

"It's just seeing them there like that I-... I broke down." My voice cracked.

* * *

_(Natsu POV snippet: Lucy sat in front of me as I sat on the toilet seat. Her face was too close to me. I got a better look at her now. She was trying to keep her composure but I knew her all to well. She was really hurting inside. My blood began to boil. I hated to see her crying. I should've totally annihilated Laxus.. I kept thinking about the confrontation I had with him:_

_"Hey, asshole! Come out here and fight me!" I yelled as I banged on his door._

_He opened the door slightly. "What the fuck do you want?" He stood at the door. I kicked the door hard making him stumble. "Alright, you asked for it. I've been meaning to kick your ass!" He grumbled as he threw a punch at me. He was a bit stronger than I imagined. "How did it feel knowing you and that bitch played me for a fool?" He hissed. I blocked one of his punches._

_"What are you talking about?" I dodged another punch and got him in the gut._

_"Yeah, like you don't have a thing for her. Right. I see the way you'd look at her. You too live together. What am I supposed to think?!" He managed to punch me in the jaw._

_"You're supposed to trust your girlfriend, you fucking idiot." I scoffed. "Oh and in regards to the way I look at Lucy. You're right. I love her. But I never disrespected what you and her had." This made him angry as he threw a harder punch and got me on my chest, knocking the wind out of me._

_"Shut up!" He dodged my punches. "I'm done with both of you."_

_"Oh and one more thing." I got closer to him. "She's mine now. This time I won't let her slip from my fingers. So you did me a favor." I smirked. Revealing my feelings towards Lucy in front of him sent an adrenaline rush throughout my body. With my last bit of strength, I headbutted him and he stumbled back and fell down. I should walk away now. My head felt woozy. I used my scarf to wipe some of his blood off my forehead. I glanced and found Lucy's shoes in the corner by the doorway. I grabbed them and walked out.)_

* * *

"Listen, we've had a long day. I'm going to grab a beer. You want one?" Natsu smiled. I know he tried to keep his cool around me. But I knew the type of person he was. We were the same age but he treated me like his little sister. We've known each other since we were kids. He was angry and that was not enough for him. I was so glad to have him here. I don't know what I would've done without him.

"Yeah, I'll take a beer." I gave him a weak smile.

"All right!"

He ran to the kitchen and rang a bell we had hanging on the fridge. It was our Beer Bell. It was a tradition that if someone has a beer. They have to ring the bell and invite everyone home to one too. We were a bunch of alcoholics.

"Beer time!" He yelled out.

"Okay!" I walked over to the fridge and rang the bell too.

Natsu grabbed two cans and threw me one.

"Hey, you jerks! Come on!" He yelled out to our roommates who were still locked in their room.

"You rang?" Our roommate Gray walked out of his room and flashed us a smile. "Whoa, what's up with you guys?" He pointed at our bandaged faces.

"We won't say nothing until you have a beer in hand, bub! You know the rules." I exclaimed.

"Get me a beer too, hon. I need to hear this." Juvia called out.

Me and Natsu lived in a three bedroom apartment with two of our friends, Juvia and Gray. We've been living together for about five years now. Juvia was my friend in high school and Natsu knew Gray from college. Up until recently I used to share a room with Juvia but now she and Gray have been dating for a few months and Juvia moved into Gray's bedroom. The thing that has kept us so close knit is our shared passion for, you guessed it, alcohol. We sat on the floor of the living room with beers in hand and back up beers on the coffee table.

"Wow, what an asshole." A half drunken Gray yelled. "I'm glad you got the chance to beat his ass, Natsu."

"I would beat him again if I could! Hey Laxus! You hear me! I'll beat you up again, dick!" Natsu was drunk. There were several cans in the living room coffee table now.

"Laxus? Where is he?" I cried, my mind was fuzzy. "Why did you hurt me? I thought you loved me!" I sobbed as I laid my head on the coffee table.

"Lucy, you're drunk." Juvia was the only half sober one.

"I'm drunk? No. I'm heartbroken. I hate him. I'm going to make him regret he hurt me! Wait till I get my hands on you, you jerkface!" I hiccuped.

"I'm sure you will make him regret it!" Juvia reassured me.

"I know right. I'm so hot. He has to." I raised my head up too quickly and fell on Natsu, who was half asleep, his head resting on the couch.

"You are totally hot, Lucy you'll find someone new." Natsu mumbled drunkenly.

"Right! That's what Juvia said too. Thank you!" I hugged my friend.

"Correction. That's what you said, Lucy." Juvia smirked. "Let's go Gray. I'm tired."

I don't remember what happened next but I awoke on the living room floor with a huge headache. I realized I was cuddling with Natsu's feet. He was adjacent to me holding my feet. Ugh. I pushed him away.

"Natsu wake up! You're going to be late for work." I stared at the time on my phone.

"Oh my head." He groaned. "What time is it?"

"It's 8:15." I yawned.

"Crap I forgot to put an alarm. Why didn't you wake me up?" He scrambled to his feet and ran to shower.

Natsu worked at an office as a website developer for a propane company. He had a nine to five job that he valued greatly. He was lazy but a pretty smart guy. Even in school and college he always had better grades than me.

At least I was working late today. I was a manager at a coffee shop. I just happened to get a lucky promotion. I was a server for the shop for a few years and I was promoted. I honestly did not live to the expectations of my parents who wanted me to have a profession. If mother were alive she's scold me and whine about why I didn't turn out like Natsu. But I liked my job. It paid my rent and provided me with extra pocket change.

"Hey wait before you go. I made you some coffee and take this with you." I handed a rushed Natsu a thermos and a bagel with cream cheese.

"All right you're the best. I was feeling like shit." He smiled.

"Here. Let me fix your scarf." I adjusted his white scarf with black intricate markings. Natsu didn't wear ties. He always wore his scarf that his father gave him before he passed. It had become his lucky scarf. He's gone through a lot in the past few years.

"Thanks! Feel better okay?" He bit the bagel. He wasn't this nice. "You look like death!" He joked and shot me a smile with cream cheese on his face. There's the jerk I know.

"Oh, you asshole." I laughed. I know he was just trying to make me feel better. It's just how our friendship has been for years now. Natsu always defending me. Always rescuing me and helping me out.

_Middle School. 10 years ago. _

_"Natsu! Mikey broke up with me!" I cried as I ran out to my pink haired friend. My blonde hair was parted in two long braids that flapped in the wind._

_"What a jerk! What happened?" He put his hand on my shoulder. _

_"He said I'm too flat chested!" I clutched at my chest. My uniform was a 12 year old size and I was 15._

_"That damn kid. I'm going to beat him up! Just wait till you're older Lucy and he's going to regret it!" He mimicked carrying two watermelons on his chest and smirked, his braces shining in the afternoon sun. I laughed. _

_A year later.. "Hey Natsu! Hey! Mikey says he wants to date me again!" I stare at my friend my eyes gleaming. _

_"That jerk from last time? You don't need him Lucy. He only wants you for your boobs!"_

_"Natsu, you were right! He broke up with me because I wouldn't let him touch my chest!" I ran to my friend, the emotion all too familiar. _

_"Now he's really gonna get it!" He punched the air and ran to his direction._

_High School. 8 years ago._

_"Natsu can you pick me up? I'm at a party and I don't feel good."_

_"Text me where you are and I'll be on my way."_

_30 minutes later. I awoke next to Natsu. He was driving in his father's car and I was in the passenger seat. _

_"What happened? Gosh, my head is killing me!"_

_"Your boyfriend happened. That's what. Well should I say ex-boyfriend." He looked angry and he kept staring at the road._

_"Ex? Why is he my ex? What happened?" Tears began forming. We were fine just yesterday._

_"I wouldn't waste my tears on him, Lucy. He tried to sleep with you by force. He drugged you." He clenched the steering wheel._

_"Oh my God. Did he touch me?" I began to cry. I looked down at myself. I noticed my shirt that I had tucked in was undone and I wasn't wearing shoes. Tears streamed down my face._

_"No. He was about to. He's fucking lucky that he didn't or I wouldn't have gone so easy on him." He looked at me now. I noticed he had black eye and cut on his lip. I hadn't even realized his knuckles were red and bleeding._

That was the last time Natsu had gone to those lengths to help me, until recently. I'm really grateful to have him as my best friend. Come to think of it. It has always been him having to save me. I don't think I've helped Natsu with any girl troubles at all. I wish that I could do that so that I wouldn't feel so one-sided, at least in matters of the heart. Little did I know my wish was going to come true and not in the way I imagined it would.


	3. Night Out

Chapter 3: Night Out

Half a year had passed since the incident happened. I was so busy trying to occupy my time and not think _him_ that I hadn't noticed I had not spent much time with my best friend lately. We lived together but we barely saw each other from time to time.

One Friday evening after I had gotten home from my shift I decided to pay Natsu a visit.

"Hey loser! What'cha doing?!" I barged into his room.

He was lying on his bed talking on the phone. His smile turned upside down. "Hey. I'm going to have to call you back." He said in an upset tone and hung up.

"Lucy, you can't just barge in here." He raised his voice at me.

"I just wanted to talk. I'm sorry." I said glumly. He noticed I was taken aback by his reaction and his demeanor changed.

"Sorry, it's just you surprised me."

"It's 'kay. So, who were you talking to?" I said curiously as I sat next to him on the bed. "You were awfully smiley there!"

"It's just a friend." He blushed a little.

"Oooh, perhaps a lady friend?" I winked.

"No! Just a friend. Anyway, how have you been doing?" He tried to change the subject.

I was not one to be too demanding so I changed the subject too. Truthfully, I was still bummed about it. I couldn't stop thinking about him. I needed a distraction from everything.

"Honestly, it still hurts me. I can't get that image of him with her. I never even knew if he was cheating on me throughout our whole relationship or what. I mean he knew I wanted to be married for my first time. I hate myself for being so stupid. Maybe if I had given myself to him he wouldn't have-" I bit my lip. There was pain in my voice. I laid my head on his shoulder.

"Stop. Don't think like that. That's not it at all. I think you did the right thing. You just need to give yourself time to forget things and heal. You're a strong girl. I know you'll get through this." He ruffled my hair.

"Hey!" I shoved him and fixed my hair.

"Why are you fixing it for? You're going to bed anyway!" He ruffled it more as he laughed.

"Stop!" I giggled as I began to tickle him on his sides.

"Don't tickle me! I have to pee." He pleaded. "If you don't stop, I'll pee on you." He joked.

"Oh gross!" I laughed harder. "Hey, you're off tomorrow right?"

"Yes. Wh- Oh. I know where this is going." He rolled his eyes.

"Let's go grab a drink! We haven't gone out in awhile. Just the two of us!" I said enthusiastically.

"You know when it's always just us two. It almost always ends up in you getting blacked out drunk and I get stuck taking care of you." He huffed.

"But, but.." I give him my best puppy dog eyes.

"Okay. Let's go." He caved. "You know I can't say no to those eyes."

"Yay! Let me just get out of these work clothes."

"You're going like that?" Natsu furrowed his brows. He looked up from being on his phone. He was sitting on the couch waiting for me.

I had changed to a short purple strapless bodycon dress, black heels and a small black heart shaped crossbody bag. The dress accentuated my curves. I was overdressed compared to my male counterpart who had on light jeans, a dark jacket and his white scarf.

"Yes, I feel like dancing tonight too! I want to go to the club!" I gave him a toothy smile. "Just wear your new shoes and you'll look great! Let's go!"

Natsu and I were lucky that our apartment was in the heart of town so everything we could ever do was always close by. We arrived at a club that already had music at full blast.

"Alright! We're here!" I got out too quickly and almost fell trying to get out of Natsu's big truck.

"Whoa, calm down. It's not going anywhere." He laughed as he grabbed my wrist right on time.

"Thanks! Come on." I dragged him. His hand still holding my wrist.

We walked inside the large warehouse-esque building. It had a round bar smack in the middle and all around it were people dancing. A few DJ's were at the back of the building with huge speakers adorning the entire venue.

"I think I'll go for a margarita. What do you want? My treat!" I smiled at my friend.

"Well if you're treating then I'll take a shot of whiskey." He said happily.

"Let me guess? Fireball?"

"You know it!"

I stuck out my tongue in disgust and walked towards the bar. Whenever we went out he always has a shot of whiskey. I don't know how he likes it.

"I'll take a margarita and a shot of fireball whiskey please!" I yell out to one of the bartenders who shook his head in acknowledgement.

"What's a pretty little lady like yourself doing here all alone?" An older man who reeked of alcohol rested his arm on my shoulder.

"Excuse me. Back up!" I yelled angrily as I shoved him away.

"Come on. Don't be so coy." He got closer and breathed in my face.

"Hey! There you are babe. I was looking for you!" Natsu put his arm around me. "Can I help you?" He glared at the man. Natsu was taller than him. If he'd even remotely tried anything, he'd surely lose.

"No, no. Just walking by." He moved away from us and walked away from the bar.

"Thank you." I sighed.

This actually happens a lot. So Natsu was used to doing these types of things whenever we'd go out. He'd be my pretend boyfriend to scare off people who tried to get too close to me.

"Ma'am. Here are your drinks." The bartender handed us our drinks.

"Put it on a tab. We'll be back!" I smiled as I gave Natsu his shot.

"Cheers!" We clinked our glasses together. I grabbed him by the arm and dragged him to the dance floor. We both surprisingly liked to dance. Natsu was a bit more bold than I was so he would lead first and once we both had alcohol in our systems we just let loose.

A few margaritas and two shots of tequila later. My male companion had a few shots of whiskey and a few shots of tequila. We're too drunk to dance as we are just jumping around looking silly.

"Hey! We should go." I mumbled in Natsu's ear.

"But we just got here!" He huffed as he struggled to keep his balance. "Whoa. Okay let's go." He rubbed his eyes at the realization of his inebriated state.

"Hey Lucy, I just realized." He gasped. "I can't drive." We were outside the parking lot as we stared at the red machinery before us.

"If we walk very carefully. We can make it home." I mumbled as I removed my shoes. "I can't walk in these though."

"Wow! You are so smart!" He patted my head.

"Hey. I'm not a little kid!" I looked up at him and got dizzy and fell on my butt.

Natsu reached out his hand. "Are you okay?" He helped me up.

He took off his jacket and tied the sleeves on my waist. "Hop on." He bent down in front of me.

We were both drunk but he was conscious enough to help me. The next thing I knew I fell asleep on his shoulders.

The next morning I woke up in Natsu's bed. He was sleeping beside me. His arm around my waist. I felt his breathing next to my neck. He was spooning me. The blood rushed from my head to my feet when I realized there was a protruding rigid mass obstructing the back of my thigh. Holy shit. Is this Natsu's-? I tried to sit up but my head was pounding.

"Ughh." I grunted in pain and woke up Natsu. He was as shocked as I was and he tried to sit up quickly too. He moved away from me but it was too late I had already felt his morning stem. I sat up.

"Oh god." He shut his eyes. As he sat up I realized he was shirtless, still wearing his jeans from last night. I don't know why but my instinct was to look down at myself.

"Ahh." I realized why Natsu shut his eyes as I noticed my strapless dress was under my boobs now and I was revealing my strapless lace bra which was a bit too racy for my own good. I covered myself with his blanket. "Sorry." We both sat on his bed unsure of the events that led to this awkward situation. This was the first time that I was truly embarrassed in front of Natsu. I mean we had seen each other naked before when we were little kids. Never in this light. I've never seen him without a shirt. Any man actually. I had chosen a life of abstinance. Even with Laxus, the most we did when we were in our moods were errotic make out sessions and he'd feel my breasts on top of my shirt. He may be a cheating scum be he never pressured me into sex. I'm a freaking virgin for God's sake. If I was still a virgin.

* * *

_(Natsu's POV snippet: I woke up the morning after with a blinding headache. Blonde hair was all over my face. Oh, right. Lucy fell asleep on my bed. Oh, god and I'm hugging her. I tried to control my heartbeat. Feeling her body so close to me sent shivers down my spine. I felt my morning wood rub against her thigh. It sent a spasm of electricity inside my erection. I tried to sit up too quickly and made my headache worse. I pulled away. Maybe she didn't feel anything right? Jeez, this is so embarrassing. She sat up as the covers fell to her sides. "Oh god" I could see everything. Her dress was down to her abdomen and she revealed her strapless bra that was literally underwiring and lace. I quickly shut my eyes but I had already seen everything. Her nipples were erect and her plump breasts sent signals to my already erect dick. "Sorry" I heard her say. We stood there in silence. Trying to recollect our memories but I was mainly waiting for my boner to calm down. I pretty much remembered everything as I felt my headache receding.)_

* * *

"I'm going to go shower. Do you want to go first?" He asked breaking the silence. He got up from the bed.

"Um, yeah. Thanks." I mumbled.

"Here." He went into his closet and threw me a shirt. I put the shirt on and walked out of his room. I really needed to stop drinking.

I closed the door behind me and walked towards the bathroom. I was too busy scolding myself I didn't notice Juvia and Gray were in the living room and they caught me in my walk of shame.

"Did you just?" Juvia raised an eyebrow.

"Shh!" I motioned my index finger to my lips as I gave them a scared look. I ran to the bathroom without looking at them. Aw, crap. They're never going to live that down. It's bad enough that when we drink too much. Gray and Juvia always mention why me and Natsu never dated; always insisting that we may have kissed in the past. But we have never seen each other like that. Which is why this whole situation was so awkward.

I looked a horrendous mess. My make up was runny and I reeked of alcohol. I checked my neck and chest to see if maybe a certain someone left a love bite anywhere. There was nothing.

What the hell happened last night?

* * *

A/N: Time skip! I wanted to avoid the sulky business and get straight to the fun. Thank you for the reviews, faves and follows! I appreciate it so much and I hope you continue to like this wild ride with me! -Rin


	4. Embarrassment

Chapter 4: Embarrassment

I stood in the shower feeling the hot water caress my back. I really needed to remember what happened last night. I was wearing all my articles of clothing. Besides, my dress that slipped. It could be possible that Natsu just took off his shirt because he was hot at night. Right? I relayed the whole night in my head trying to remember what happened. I finished my shower and draped the towel around my body. Natsu was walking out of his room when he noticed me walk out of the bathroom. Of all the freaking times I could forget a change of clothes it had to be today. I blushed and ran to my room avoiding his gaze. Wait. Why am I so shy? I'm sure nothing happened. He's still my best friend nonetheless. My heart began to pound. I needed to calm myself down.

I quickly changed and peeked out of my room. I just need to grab a bottled iced coffee I have in the fridge and then I'm home free, I thought to myself. My room was right in front of Natsu's. We had the bathroom in between both our rooms and then a hallway that lead towards the kitchen and living room; followed by the third bedroom.

The bathroom light was on. I'm sure Natsu is in there. Coast was clear. I walked down the hallway to the kitchen.

"Hey." A familiar voice called behind me making the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. It was Natsu's voice. The one person I was trying to avoid right now.

"Hey. I-I'm just grabbing a coffee." I stuttered and kept my head low as I dug in the fridge for my drink.

"Lucy, I-" He began.

"Can we just talk later? I'm going to take a nap." I still didn't look at him. I walked quickly back into my room. I shut the door behind me and leaned on it. Phew. The pounding in my chest was subsiding. I need to sort this out. I can't keep avoiding him like this. This is Natsu! Your best friend. You and him have never even seen each other that way! I opened the bottle of coffee and gulped it down.

We were at the club and then we walked home. Wait he carried me home because I fell down and I wasn't wearing shoes. I fell asleep while he walked. Then what-? I felt a bit of my memory return as I caught a glimpse of us arriving home.

"_Hey Lucy. We're here." Natsu stumbled in the front door trying to keep my weight on his back. He put me down on the side of the door and opened the lock with his key._

"_Come on." He shoved me._

"_Mmm." I mumbled. He was standing beside me as I sat on the floor._

"_If you don't come inside. I'm leaving you out here." He muttered._

"_No, Laxus. Please don't leave me!" I cried as I grabbed him by the leg._

"_Alright then. Let's go." He carried me cradle style. I laid my head on his chest and sniffled. Tears welled up in the corners of my eyes. "I missed you." I whispered to him._

"_Okay. Let's just take you to your room." Natsu seemed more sober now._

"_No, please. I wanna stay with you." I wrapped my arms around his neck as I stared at him longingly. He looked away when my eyes met his. I don't know if it was the alcohol but there was a slight blush on his cheeks._

"_I don't think that's a good idea." He bit his lip. Still avoiding my gaze._

"_Please." I began to cry again._

"_Okay, fine." He turned his head and looked at me now and took me to his room. "Just stay on your side and I stay in mine because you snore!" He complained and he laid me on the bed._

"_I love you." I yawned. I felt Natsu lay next to me. "Hmph." He grumbled._

Okay. I was overly clingy and a bit too pathetic. Which is normal for me. I was an emotional drunk. But nothing happened! I felt silly for the way I acted. I ended up confronting Natsu about it. He scolded me saying that, "That's what I kept trying to tell you all day! But you were being a dummy!" We sorted it out and after awhile it was back to normal. I was working extra hours at work since one of my staff quit and I had to pull in their weight. So I was barely home. When I was actually home, I was sleeping. I went a few weeks with the same routine barely even seeing my roommates.

One Saturday night I arrived home around 2 in the morning after a long shift. When I noticed Natsu's door was a sort of ajar. He was laying in his bed, his eyes fixated on his phone screen. I had an urge to bother him but I stopped dead in my tracks when I noticed that whatever he was looking at or watching had him a bit too excited for his own good as the covers that he had around his waist had a tent. I couldn't help but stare at the very visible protruding heap. I blushed. I quickly picked my jaw off the floor and ran to my room. I don't think he noticed I was staring. I felt my heart began to pound. This is the second time that Natsu's penis has striked a thought into my head. I shook my head at the scene that I saw and went to bed. Too exhausted to even think about anything else.

I was laying in bed when I felt a familiar presence enter my room. "Hey you're asleep?" The presence whispered as they laid next to me. "Mm." I mumbled. "I can't sleep." He whispered. "I keep thinking about you." His body was really close to mine now. The bridge of his nose practically touched my face. "What?" I said sleepily. The room was too dark for me to be able tell who it was. "I want you, Lucy." He kissed my neck. "You do?" I breathed. "Yes." He got close to me and pressed his lips on mine. His tongue rolling in my mouth. I felt his hands fondle my breasts. He got on top as he continued to kiss me. I felt his bulging crotch as he rubbed himself against me. I moaned. "Oh, Natsu."

Wait, what?

Beep. Beep. Beep. I heard my alarm. I awoke all sweaty. It was just a dream. But it was all too real. I covered my face with my pillow. Too ashamed of myself. It's what I saw last night that made me think about IT and that's why I dreamt IT. Easy explanation. Right? After that dream it was a bit hard for me to not look at Natsu in the crotch.

Several days went by and we'd cross each other's paths in the apartment. My mind always in the gutter as my eyes would wander to where the gods blessed him. In one instance, he actually caught me staring at him. He slightly blushed and looked down at himself. Luckily for me, his zipper was down which gave me an excuse as to why I was looking in the first place. No matter how hard I tried to think of something else, my mind always drifted to him. My dreams were becoming more vivid.

A week later I sprained my wrist at work. I was unable to work and even day to day tasks at home were a bother to do. One afternoon I was getting ready to go shower when I called out Juvia to help me with my shirt buttons. She helped me put the shirt on this morning, insisting that it would look great for my work meeting I could not miss out on.

"Hey Juve, can you help me?" I yelled out from my bathroom. I had the door open so she could hear me.

"Juvia and Gray left about half an hour ago." Natsu walked out of his room. He was in a white t-shirt and basketball shorts. His groin print very visible. "What's wrong?"

I quickly looked up. Hoping my cheeks weren't flushed from what I just witnessed.

"It's a bit embarrassing." I bit my lip. "I need help with my shirt buttons." I pointed at my long sleeve pink button up shirt.

"Oh." A slight blush escaped his cheeks. "Here, I'll help you." He got close up and closed his eyes as to avoid looking at me without a shirt. His face was inches from mine. I felt my heart began to pound in my chest. What the heck is wrong with me? I felt Natsu's fingers against my shirt as he began to unbutton my shirt. I don't know what came over me but I stared at him in a trance. He was looking really handsome today. I was so glad his eyes were closed or he would've definitely noticed how desperate I probably looked. As he got closer to my lower abdomen I flinched and leaned against the bathroom counter. His reaction was to lean closer to continue unbuttoning my shirt but I don't think he calculated our distance and he rubbed himself against me. I felt everything. His bulge rubbed against my lower body. He opened his eyes in disbelief. We stood there with my shirt opened and our bodies touching. I didn't move. He didn't move either. We stared at each other. He reached his hand and traced the curves of my collarbones with his index finger. It sent a lightning bolt of electricity all over my body. I reciprocated with a twitch of my hips feeling him closer to me. His eyes were dilated. I felt his finger go down my chest until it was in between the crevice of my breasts. His bulge hardened between my thighs. I let out a slight groan. It seems my moan got him out of his daze as his pupils constricted and he jumped back in shock.

"Sorry." He whispered with a blush on his face. He walked away.

"D-don't be." I uttered barely a whisper. I don't think he heard me as he was already in his room. I felt my insides were on fire. I closed the door to the bathroom, trying to comprehend what just happened. My heart was pumping loudly in my chest. I could barely even hear myself think. Calm down, Lucy. I told myself. I paced back and forth trying to wrap my head around what happened. Natsu probably just let his hormones get the better of him and as a result he was not thinking clearly. What other explanation could there be?!

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A/N: Hi! Thank you again for the new faves and follows. This chapter is a little shorter but juicy nonetheless. Seems like tension is building up. I hope the format is correct as I uploaded this with my phone. I normally use my laptop. Next update will be up until Tuesday. Maybe sooner. Enjoy! -Rin


	5. Party Time

Chapter 5: Party Time

We never brought it up. After a week of awkward silences between us and my blushing face every time I saw him. I've had enough. I had to confront him on what happened. I couldn't deal with the stiff air between us and my vivid wet dreams. I wanted my best friend back. Maybe if I confronted him I could get rid of this lingering sensation I was feeling...

It was exactly a week after our bathroom fiasco that I decided to gather up my courage and talk to him. Until Juvia texted me and changed my plans.

J: Party at our place tonight! BYOB

L: Party? For what? We have beer at the house.

J: Celebrating me and Gray's 1 year anniversary!

L: Seriously? You both are too much! I'll be there since I have no choice! :P

J: LOL. Just don't forget the beer.

I arrived home with a six pack on hand and I was greeted by a short petite girl with short blue hair. She was in an orange sundress. I was blown away by her cuteness and the smells in the kitchen. Juvia had actually cooked today. She's really serious.

"Hi! You must be Lucy! My name is Levy McGarden." She smiled at me as she was putting frosting on a small cake in the kitchen counter.

"Oh, hi there! Nice to meet you, finally. Juvia is always gushing about you and Gajeel. Where is she?" I asked as I placed the beer in the fridge. I glanced at the kitchen counter. There was an entire feast prepped. Juvia was really going all out for this party.

"Nice to meet you too! She cooked all this food and went to go shower. She didn't want to be in the party smelling like stir fry." She giggled.

"She needs to hurry up. I'm so hungry!" A whiny Natsu appeared from the other side of the counter as he eyed the food longingly. I felt my heart skip a beat at the sound of his voice.

Just then the front door busted open. Gray walked in with a few bottles of champagne and a taller man with black spiky hair and piercings in his face was next to him with two cases of beer.

"I'm back!" Gray exclaimed. "I would've been here quicker if this man here hadn't stopped to admire a street performer who was playing guitar." They placed the cases on the kitchen floor.

"I can't walk idly by when I'm in the presence of genuine talent. Although, I could've done better myself." The tall guy smirked.

"Oh Gajeel, I'm sure you could've dear." Levy chuckled and walked towards the tall man and she grabbed his hand in an apologetic way. Seeing her next to him made the tall man look like a giant.

"Lucy, this is Gajeel Redfox. He's a friend of Juvia and Levy's boyfriend." Gray introduced us.

"Hey!" I waved. I've heard Juvia talk about her friends but I never actually met them. She actually wasn't one to bring people over. When she'd do things with me, she never really brought anyone along. So it was nice to meet the people she spoke so dearly about. She was close friends with Gajeel in middle school. Then they went to different high schools but always kept in touch. She became close to Levy when she started dating Gajeel.

"Can you tell your girlfriend to rush? Some people are starving over here." An impatient Natsu cried out to Gray who was talking to Gajeel and Levy.

"Can't you be more patient!" I spat out at my pink haired friend. He pouted at me. However, he was completely unfazed despite our whole ordeal. Even being in the same room with him had me on edge. Was I the only one going crazy?

"I'm actually hungry myself. Let me go check on her." Gray walked towards his room.

"Don't come in!" Juvia yelled from the other side of the door. "I'm not ready yet."

"Jeez, she's acting as if this was a wedding or something." Juvia's boyfriend rolled his eyes.

After a few minutes she emerged from her room in a long blue sundress with a low neckline showing off her big breasts, there was a slit on the skirt and her shoulder length blue hair was in side ponytail. She wasn't not one to show cleavage like I was. But she would sometimes surprise me. She looked stunning. I glanced at Gray who blushed at the sight of his beloved.

"Wow." He pecked her on the cheek. For someone so laid back, he seemed a bit flustered at the sight of her.

"Oh stop." She blushed and gave him a big hug.

"Wow. Juvia you look amazing!" I admired my friend.

"Hot stuff!" Levy giggled

"Thank you girls. Now, please let's eat!"

"Alright!" Natsu yelled.

"Finally." Gajeel rolled his eyes, his short blue haired lover gave him a nudge for his rudeness. She may be small but she had that tall man in the palm of her hands.

We all sat around our coffee table. Luckily, it was large enough to sit all of us. The table was full of food. Juvia had baked chicken. There were mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables. Rice and beef stir fry. And the cake which sat in the middle of the table. The couples sat next to their respective partners which left me and Natsu to sit next to each other. I wanted to confront him anyway but now that I had him right next to me. I couldn't stop my fluttering heart. I looked at him through my peripheral vision. He seemed a bit too casual. We normally would be talking but no words would form in my head. What can we say? Our shoulders were almost touching. He was still wearing his work clothes. His muscles looked amazing in his white button up. He had the sleeves rolled up revealing the muscles and veins on his arms. I shuddered and looked around instead. Juvia was serving our plates and was ordering Gray to pour us champagne.

"Now, before we get started. I wanted to say a few things." She lightly tapped her glass flute with her fork. "I wanted to share this moment with our friends because unbeknownst to you all. You all played a vital role in this. I wanted to thank Natsu for befriending such a handsome man." She blushed as she said this. "I want to thank Lucy for convincing me to live with her and giving me the opportunity to meet the love of my life. I want to thank Levy for making Gajeel a softie or he'd never have given me the push to ask the guy out first and Gray, my love. Thank you for existing and loving me. I fell in love with you the moment my eyes met yours! Cheers!" She raised her glass and we all did the same exclaiming our cheers and congratulations. Gray was full on blushing completely, losing his composure. She gulped her champagne in one swig. Satisfied with her declaration of love.

"How am I supposed to compete with that?" The man of honor groaned. "You were a bit eccentric when I first met you. But slowly you grew on me. I love you too, my sweet." He half smiled, utterly embarrassed by all the attention.

We laughed and chatted amongst ourselves. Enjoying the delicious food and heaps of alcohol.

An hour went by and we cleaned up after dinner. We were all sitting back in the living room enjoying the company and feeling the effects of the liquor. Not flat out drunk but feeling happy but daring. Daring enough that when a certain blue haired love drunk individual decided we should play truth or dare. We all just decided to go for it.

"What are we five?" Gray smirked.

"What. Why not? Are you scared, my love?" Juvia challenged her man with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm down. I love a challenge!" Natsu yelled happily.

Gajeel also joined. "Alright, I'll do it."

"I guess we're doing this!" Levy cheered.

With everyone joining in. I guess I had no choice in the matter. "Okay, fine." I agreed worryingly.

"Yay!" Juvia cheered, content that everyone accepted her proposal. "But before that, we need to get ourselves out of our comfort zones!" She walked towards the kitchen. We all stared in suspense at what other silly idea she's going to come up with. We heard scurrying noises coming from the kitchen. She walked back towards the living room this time with a large bottle of tequila on one hand and on the other hand she held shot glasses stacked together.

"Oh, no. Babe, you know how you get when you do shots." Gray protested.

"She can handle a few." Gajeel backed up his friend.

We all joined and took a shot.

"We'll start with the couple of the hour then!" Levy chimed in.

"Fine, I'll go first." Gray huffed. He seemed like he wanted to just get this over with. I was feeling the same way. He spinned the bottle in the middle of the coffee table. We all sat in suspense. The nozzle stopped and landed on Gajeel. "Okay. Truth or dare, big man."

"I'm no wimp. Dare me." The tall guy smirked.

"I dare you to… take another shot of tequila. I don't know."

"What? That's it?" He scoffed and refilled his shot glass with more alcohol, without batting an eye he took the shot, unbothered.

"Alright, my turn." The black haired man smirked as he spun the bottle. It spun and landed on Natsu. "What will it be?"

"Dare. Like I said. I like a challenge." He grinned a bit too eager.

"Okay. You know what since I don't know you all that well, I'll go easy on ya! I dare you to do a body shot off blondie over there." He pointed at me. All eyes were on me and Natsu. I mean of course he's not going to make Natsu do a body shot with his girlfriend and no way in hell will Gray approve of that happening with Juvia. But why dare this in the first place? I instantly felt my cheeks burn. I was nervous and kind of excited. Feeling a wave of emotions.

"Um. What?" Natsu couldn't believe what he heard.

"Ya heard me. We're all adults aren't we?" He smirked.

I knew Natsu wasn't going to do it. Not without my permission. But I also knew if he refused it would bother him. I took charge. Feeling confident from the alcohol and grabbed Natsu's shot glass. I filled it up and inserted the tiny cup in between my breasts. Luckily, I was wearing a low neckline shirt and my push up bra, which held the cup tightly in between my breasts. Everyone was staring at me. Natsu eyed me in disbelief. He searched my eyes almost as if asking me, 'Are you sure?'. I smiled at him and bit on a lemon wedge, positioning it in between my lips and nodded at him. I put salt on the palm of my hand and reached my hand towards him. With nothing stopping him now he licked the salt off my palm and in a quick but subtle motion he grabbed the rim of the glass with his mouth. I felt his chin rub against my chest. He chugged the shot quickly and then leaned close to my face to get the lemon from my lips. His movements were so confident I wondered if this wasn't his first time doing this. But once he got to my lips. I felt his body movements stiffened. Almost as if unsure of doing the next move. I decided to meet him halfway. The alcohol had gotten rid of my nerves completely and I was in full confidence mode. He got closer when he realized I was more than willing to finish this game. I felt his breath on my face and with a soft tug he pulled the lemon wedge with his lips, barely grazing my own. The butterflies in my stomach were doing somersaults in my body. He felt my lips too because he stared at me intently before he sucked on the lemon wedge and gave me a sweet smile.

"That was intense." I heard Juvia muttered under her breath. I know she's going to bring this up when we get the chance, if she even remembers.

"I'm fired up now!" My pink haired friend exclaimed. He grabbed the bottle and spun it, landing swiftly on Juvia. "Your turn."

"Ooh, dare me!" She shouted.

"I dare you to remove Gray's socks with your teeth." Natsu chuckled. He knew that Juvia was not a fan of feet.

She puckered her lips in disgust. "Gray, sweetie I love you but eww! No I can't!"

"Since you refused then you have to take a shot as punishment!" Levy pointed out in glee.

"Gladly!" She poured herself a shot and gulped it down. "I get to go now, right?" She spun the bottle and my heart fell to my feet when I noticed it landed on me. I choked on my sip of beer I took. "What will it be my dear friend?" Juvia gave me a devilish smile.

"Uh, truth." I coughed.

"Booo!" I heard everyone except Natsu protesting.

"It's okay. Fine! Lucy. Is it true you've never did anything with Natsu? You can't lie on this game." She giggled. Now I knew that she was really drunk, since she only brought up that subject when she wasn't sober. Maybe I should have picked dare. My mind drifted to the time I fell asleep in his bed and we cuddled all night. Also the time that was still so fresh in my memory when he leaned against me in the bathroom. I felt my face flush red. I took a peek at my pink haired companion to see if he recalled these events too, but his demeanor was unfazed.

I sighed. "It's true." With a bit too much disappointment in my voice.

"Wait. You guys aren't dating?" Gajeel asked curiously.

"No. Lucy's my best friend." Natsu answered with a grin. Best friend he says. But why was he touching me so differently the other day? I felt a pang of anguish. What do I want from him?

"Oh, my bad. I thought you were dating that's why I said the body shot. You guys took it like champs!" He guffawed.

We played a few more rounds, this time around everyone more cautious of what subjects to avoid and the dares just became plain silly. It became a game for who's the most daring amongst Natsu and Gajeel. There he was happily enjoying himself as he left me in my thoughts. Juvia's question still lingering in my brain. I wasn't thinking about it before but now it was driving me insane. Natsu was acting as if nothing happened. This made me upset. Why was I upset? I felt my heart flutter again.

I finished the beer I had and went to grab another one. Trying to drown out my thoughts with more liquor. I was too preoccupied with my head that I hadn't noticed someone behind me. I felt Natsu slammed his hand on the fridge door as I closed it. I looked up at him in bewilderment. He was too close for comfort. "Lucy, I've been meaning to talk to you." He whispered. The bridge of his nose was a few centimeters from my face. I stared into his deep onyx eyes. In the sun they'd turn a sheen of green but right now there was longing in his gaze. Why did he look so good right now? He had removed his scarf and unbuttoned a few buttons on his shirt and he was showing the tan skin of his chest.

"What about?" I breathed unsure of what to say next. It was a hard thing to talk about especially now where others could hear us.

Without thinking my hand moved on it's own. I lifted my free hand and placed it on his cheek. He placed his hand on top of mine and leaned closer. I felt his beer breath on my face now. I closed my eyes in anticipation. Waiting for the moment I'd feel his lips pressed against mine.

I opened my eyes when I noticed he hadn't made a move. He was standing there glaring at me with dilated pupils. I don't know what's going on with me today. I felt a knot in my throat. My poor heart couldn't take more of this. I think he was waiting for me to make the move since he stood there without moving. His gaze fixated on my lips. I leaned closer and stopped. I shouldn't. He saw my hesitation and he kissed my check instead. I felt his soft lips pressed against my skin. I couldn't believe this was happening right now. His lips moved from my check to my neck as I felt his lips brush against my neckline. He suckled at my ear and explored my neck with his tongue. Pangs of pleasure took over my whole body. I felt his hands on my hips as he brought me closer to him. My arms cradled his neck, beer still in hand and it brought our bodies closer. I felt his erection through his pants.

"I'm gonna get more beer. Anyone else want?" Gray yelled out from the living room.

I stopped and tried to pull myself away from Natsu but he had a good grip on me.

"Someone's coming." I whispered. Snapping him out of it. He let go and took the beer from my hand and walked out of the kitchen.

I ran to my room after that. Too embarrassed to go back to face the group again. The kitchen was in total view of the living room. There was only a small wall that connected to the island with a bar where the fridge was that hid Natsu and I from view. I didn't doubt that my roommates and our guests had seen us.

I wasn't sure of what I was feeling. I didn't even know what he was thinking. I'm guessing he was drunker than I thought that night because he did not remember what happened. I could still feel his soft lips brush against my neck. Never in my life had I ever seen him as more than a friend I was sure he hadn't seen me like that either but lately his actions made me doubt what he felt for me.

I kept waiting for him to bring up that night but he never did. I wasn't even sure if he remembered. I was not going to say anything about it because I was too embarrassed to bring it up.

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A/N: It's Tuesday! I'm going to try to keep my word and update regularly. At least once a week that is. This chapter is long but fun! So I hope you guys like it! Next update will be most likely Friday because I have the chapter ready, just doing some edits! -Rin


	6. Tension

Chapter 6: Tension

My home life was suffocating. There was a tense aura between me and a certain roommate. Whether it was one sided or not. I wasn't sure of what was going on between Natsu and I. But when I was with him you could feel that things had changed. I was working overtime to be as far away from him as possible. Then shutting myself off in my room. I get a call from Juvia while I was at work.

"Hey Lucy!"

"Hey girl! What's going on? You caught me right as I'm about to leave work."

"I need to talk to you."

"Okay we can talk when I get home."

"No! It can't wait. I want to tell you first because…" Her voice trailed off. "Look, Lucy. I saw you and Natsu kiss okay. I think I know how you feel and I thought he felt the same way."

"Wha- we didn't kiss." I gulped. I felt my face turn red like a tomato. "What do you mean how I feel?"

"Okay, so you just let anybody handle you like that?" Her words struck right through me.

"No. He's my best friend. He's not some random!" I protested.

"Best friends don't suck each other's necks." Another strike. "You obviously like Natsu."

I _like _him. No. I mean I don't know. I didn't respond. My mind felt like it was going to combust.

"The reason I'm calling you is because I was driving home from work and I saw Natsu walking with someone. A girl."

"A girl?" I felt my throat close up. I should be happy for him. Why can't I be happy for him? My heart began to throb in my chest again.

"All I'm trying to say is that if you like him. You need to sort yourself out before you lose him." Her voice was serious.

I ended the call with her and walked home. I had forgotten that Natsu was going to pick me up from work today and I was leaving earlier than usual. It resulted in Natsu being angry with me for not informing him to not pick me up anymore. I was too preoccupied with the conversation Juvia and I had that I didn't even fight back.

"Sorry I wasn't thinking." I winced. We were in the living room. I was sitting on the couch as he stood in front of me.

"Exactly. You weren't thinking." He spat out. Natsu and I would fight for silly things but he had a bit too much spitefulness in his voice. "All you care about is yourself."

"Excuse me?" Tears welled up in my eyes. "When have I ever not cared about you?"

He bit his lip. A bit too late to retract the words he just spoke. "N-nothing." He paused. "Just tell me next time." He sighed and walked away towards his room.

* * *

_Natsu's POV: I was having a bad day already because some of my rough drafts on my computer were deleted at work. I just wanted to see Lucy's face to make me feel better. I got off work and drove to her job. I was picking her up today. I couldn't wait to see her smiling face, even if she looked tired from her long shift. The coffee shop was a few blocks from where I worked. I walked inside and the cashier working informed me she had left early. Why didn't she tell me? She's always such a scatterbrain. I could've really used her company. I drove back home alone. How can she not know how I feel? I think I proved it enough. But I want her to make the first move. I can't deny my feelings but I want her to be absolutely sure she feels the same way. I know that slowly, I made some progress. She was acting different towards me but still kept her distance. Such a rude woman. She had no sympathy towards a fool in love. I got home feeling too upset. My work situation and Lucy's indifference resonating in my mind. I yelled at Lucy when I saw her. I felt so bad. I didn't mean to get angry at her. My guilt rising at the tears that welled up in the corners of her eyes.)_

* * *

How can he say something so cruel and expect me to keep quiet? I was upset and angry at him.

"I'm not done talking to you Natsu!" I yelled and walked after him. I can't believe him.

"What's wrong with you?" I barged into his room. He was facing away from me.

"Can't you drop it? Please. I'm sorry." He whispered.

"Did you mean what you said?" I placed my hand on his back as I walked closer to him.

"No. I'm sorry. I just had a bad day." He turned around and gave me a weak smile. He really looked defeated.

"You can talk to me, Natsu. You know that." I reassured him. My anger turned to sympathy.

"Tell Dr. Lucy everything." I smirked. I sat in his bed and adjusted my pretend glasses. If he was already feeling bad I wasn't one to make a big deal of it. I tried to lighten the mood and make him feel better.

"Well, Dr. Lucy, you see there's this person who drives me crazy." He let out a loud sigh as he leaned into me. "I don't know what to do about this said person." Natsu placed his arms on either side of me. I flinched back and hiccuped. My fast heartbeat could be heard in this quiet room. He was really close to me. I tried to pull away from his gaze but my eyes were fixated on how sexy he looked on top of me like this. I felt my insides tingle.

"Who is this, um person?" I squealed. I was sure my face was bright red now.

"Maybe I'll tell you another time." He pulled away. My heartbeat going back to normal. I was a bit disappointed when he pulled away. What was I hoping to gain? Who is this person he's talking about? Wait... Should I care? I laid there still in awe trying to keep my composure.

"I'm going to shower." He took off his scarf and began to unbutton his shirt in front of me.

"Oh. Ok-kay." I walked out. Before I left I managed to catch a glimpse of his back. His back muscles seemed to glisten in his bedroom lighting. I placed my hands on my cheeks. My face was hot. Why do I crave him so badly? I could feel my underwear sticking to my delicate skin.

I laid in my bed still trying to comprehend my emotions. I was nervous. I was feeling a swirl of emotions at once. I wanted him and he was driving me insane. There was no denying the attraction I felt towards him. I _liked _Natsu.

* * *

A/N: Helloo. Told you guys I'd deliver and here I am! Finally this girl admits her feelings. This chapter is short. But I won't drag it for too long. Lots of drama and lemony goodness coming real soon! Thank you again for the faves and follows and the feedback. They give me so much motivation! Next update will be Wednesday! -Rin


	7. Non-Date

After my revelation, it was a bit hard for me to keep a straight face with Natsu. I liked him. I liked him so much. I'd blush whenever I'd see him and my heart would beat like a drum inside my chest. I just wanted to be near him. But I didn't want my feelings to get the better of me. I had to keep myself in check. The last thing I wanted to do was ruin a friendship. What if our relationship goes sour and I lose him forever? I couldn't bear it.

I was completely determined in convincing myself that I had no feelings for Natsu. If I continued to ignore him it would only make me feel more awkward. I decided to hang out with him just like before and for a week I managed to make things go back to normal. To a certain extent.

Natsu texted me on a Saturday morning. It had been over three weeks since I felt Natsu's lips touch my skin. My heart skipped a beat when I saw his name on my phone screen pop up. Since we lived together we seldom texted.

N: Hey lazy, wake up!

L: Hey. I'm up.

N: Do you work today?

L: Nope! :)

N: GOOD. BECAUSE GUESS WHAT?

N: Mary Hatter came out with the final movie and it's already in theaters! We should go watch it!

L: Omg really?! LETS GO!

Natsu knew how much we both liked the fantasy series and we had seen every movie together and read all the books. This was the final movie in the series. I was excited because I was going to prove to myself that we can be completely platonic. A movie non-date with your best friend is a perfect opportunity to keep things civil. Or so I thought.

The evening couldn't come sooner as I had already cleaned the entire apartment and got showered and dressed by 6:00 pm. Natsu had a few errands to run so we had chosen the 7:30pm showing. Today, in order to make myself less attractive as to not give him any ideas, nor myself. I chose a lime green long sleeve button up shirt and my favorite peach colored jeans with some comfy tennis shoes. The weather was also getting cooler so my outfit was befitting. I heard him arrive home.

_I saw Natsu with a girl. _

Juvia's words lingered in the back of my mind. Why did that just pop into my head? I was hoping he'd bring it up to me if he did have someone in his life but at times Natsu was a mystery to me.

My ears perked up as I heard him getting ready in his room, followed by footsteps and then knocking on my door.

"Hey, ya ready?" He called out from the other side of the door.

"Yeah." I grabbed my pink crossbody bag and went to open the door.

I felt my entire being crumble at the beautiful sight before me. He had his pink hair spiked up. His scent sent me into another dimension. I stared at him eyes wide and mouth agape. He was dressed in black boots, jeans and a dark gray jacket that made his scarf stand out and piece his outfit together. How can a man look and smell so good? I pulled myself together and I immediately felt underdressed. I quickly grabbed a jean jacket I had hanging by the door and walked out.

The whole car ride there was quiet. Only sounds were the radio in low volume and the humming of the engine. I looked out the window trying not to think of how sexy Natsu was looking today. My mind wandered into what Juvia told me. Natsu's scent was suffocating me and the entire vehicle. We arrived in the nick of time. The walk inside the theater was quick but at this moment it felt like the longest walk of my life. The night breeze seeming to push me towards him.

"So we should get some popcorn. I heard they have special edition popcorn tins you can buy for the movie!" I cut the tension in the breeze.

"Really? Awesome. You get the snacks and I get the tickets. The movie is about to start. Sounds good?" He looked at his watch.

"Uh. Sure." I half smiled trying to make myself not sound too disappointed in separating from his side. I walked towards the concession stand. The line was long but it was going in a steady pace. I ordered two sodas and the special edition tin. I sat on a bench next to some arcade games too preoccupied with my thoughts. Juvia's words haunting me.

"Hey, let's go." Natsu appeared in front of me. He was bending down to meet my gaze. I hadn't noticed he was in front of me.

"Right. Sorry." I bit my lip. I didn't want him to see me looking so glum. "Look at this really cool tin!" I shoved the popcorn cannister in his face.

"That would look awesome in our kitchen." He chuckled and grabbed the drinks. Something about him saying 'our kitchen' made me blush uncontrollably. We have said our place and our things so many times before but today it just felt so different.

We sat next to each other. The theater was packed full of people. The movie began as the theater lights dimmed and people began to shut off their phones.

About halfway through the movie. I reached for the popcorn, my eyes glued to the large projection and instead of feeling the salty snack I was instantly met with another hand. I looked up and realized Natsu had the same thought as me. Our hands were touching. He caressed my hand with his thumb. Making my body shiver. Our eyes locked in. I felt a magnetic pull shift me towards him. I saw him grow closer to me too. Our faces were like magnets that were too close to not pull towards each other. I felt the tip of his nose touch mine. He closed his eyes in content. If I were to tilt my head slightly I would feel his lips. We were holding hands now. I felt him interlock his fingers with mine. Feeling his soft breath caress my face. I wanted to kiss him so badly.

Just. One. Kiss.

I gathered my courage and tilted my head. I shut my eyes and pressed my lips against his. His body jolted a little. Probably surprised by my courage. Wait, did he not want to kiss me? Should I pull away? I tried to pull away but my body wasn't letting me. I felt Natsu take control of the kiss and he pushed his mouth closer to mine. Fireworks going out in my head. He deepened the kiss as his tongue danced on my lower lip. I opened my mouth slightly to give him way. I felt him release my grip on his hand and he lightly placed his hand on my chin. Our mouths and tongues in perfect sync. We kissed for a good while. Unbothered by the packed theater.

_I saw Natsu with a girl. _That haunting sentence clouded my mind. I stopped the kiss to catch my breath and I used that as an excuse to stop kissing. I pulled away from him. Why hasn't he told me about this girl? Does he have a girlfriend? If he does. What's going on here? I cleared my throat and went back to the movie trying to avoid any confrontation with him. I felt Natsu look at me. The rest of the movie was too uncomfortable for words. Before I knew it, we were back in Natsu's truck. There was a certain stiffness in the air now.

* * *

_(Natsu's POV: I wanted to shout out loud. I couldn't believe Lucy had finally kissed me. I could still feel the hauntingly pleasant touch of her lips against mine. I felt that things were progressing but when she pulled away from me something made me feel like everything that I felt was going in the right direction stopped at a quick halt. What is going on in your mind, Lucy? I only felt right that I had to up the ante. I was going to make her mine. Her kiss made me sure now that she had feelings for me. But as always, she has always been so apprehensive with her feelings. Even in her previous relationship, Laxus had to ask her out several times before she finally said yes. I stared at her now as she sat in the passenger seat. She was fiddling with a button on her jacket as she looked out the window, clearly she was disturbed by something. I gripped the steering wheel harder trying to stop myself from reaching for her hand._

_"Lucy…" I called out to her. Unsure of what to even say but this awkwardness was driving me insane._

_"Hmm?" She hummed, still not looking at me._

_"I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable." I sighed. She looked at me now with woeful eyes. _

_"Don't be sorry. I kissed you first." Her lips tightened at her response before giving me a slight smile._

_"Right…" I felt my cheeks burning. I didn't know what else to say. I just wanted to kiss her again. To touch her. _

_After a constant fight with my consciousness I reached out and grabbed her hand. She squeezed my hand approving my grip. I drove the rest of the way with our hands interlocked. Feeling accomplished that I finally got a small response from Lucy. After so many years of hiding my feelings, I was determined now more than ever to win her heart.)_

* * *

**A/N:** "Yer a wizard, Mary!" Heheh. (Don't hate me but I actually never seen or read any of the HP movies/books ._.) Finally some action! Sorry, I'm a sucker for cliche love tropes... I'm late but the chapter is here! I hope you guys like it so far. Next chapter will be this weekend. Thank you so much to those that follow/fave this story. Hope to not disappoint you! -Rin


	8. My Friend

Chapter 8: My Friend

It was just one kiss. Not like it meant anything. Right? After our movie night. I bid my goodbyes to Natsu right away. Ending the night early. I didn't even know what I was doing anymore. Yeah, platonic. Totally. I was fooling myself.

I wanted him. I wanted him so bad.

I paced in my room wondering what I should do. Should we talk about the kiss? What can I say? I was going to go talk to Natsu after fighting with myself for a few minutes when I heard his phone ring through the door. I walked towards his door and eavesdropped. What the heck was wrong with me?

"Hey! What's up?" His voice too enthusiastic.

"I just got home. I went to go see that movie I told you about."

"It's going. I mean I don't know, honestly."

"Really? Sounds like a plan. Thanks!"

Who is he talking to? I shouldn't listen in on his conversations. Oh my gosh. I should retreat before it's too la-... I was about to walk back to my room but not before Natsu's bedroom door opened. I was caught red handed. I felt my heart fall to my feet. How the heck do I explain myself? Natsu was still on the phone. He looked at me with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah. Hold on." He took the phone away from his ear and mouthed to me, 'You ok?'

I could hear the other person on the phone now. It was a woman on the other line arguing with someone else. I could feel my cheeks burning. I nodded quickly and walked away towards the kitchen. A feeling of dread overwhelmed me as I felt Natsu walk behind me.

"So you were saying?" He continued his phone chat. I had to get out of here. I didn't even want anything from the kitchen. I just thought I played it cool by coming here. I rummaged through the pantry pretending to be busy. Trying to lurk into his conversation. The woman's voice was unintelligible. I heard Natsu open and close the fridge and he walked back to his room. I was holding my breath the whole time. I let out a loud sigh, feeling utterly embarrassed.

That night I couldn't even sleep. My headspace too intrigued by his phone conversation and if she had been the same girl that Juvia told me about. I hadn't even noticed I dozed off and I heard my bedroom door slam open.

"Lucy, ya still sleeping? Don't ya work today?" Natsu grumbled. "Your alarm has been ringing for like half an hour. I can't even rest on my day off." He grabbed my phone and shut the alarm.

"Hmm." I covered my head with my blanket.

He shook my shoulder. "Come on sleepy head. There are birds coming out of your bedhead." He snickered.

"Shit, okay. I'm up." I cursed. He gave me a confused look. I wasn't one to curse so I caught him by surprise.

"Scary, Lucy." He chuckled and walked out.

I began to get dressed in my sleepy state. I grabbed a black long sleeve button up and some black pants. I shouldn't worry so much about stupid things, I scolded myself.

"Hey, are ya dressed?" Natsu called from the other side of the door.

"Uh, yeah."

He came in with a tray, there was a coffee mug and a plate with jellied toast. He laid the tray on my vanity table. I walked from my closet to my vanity stool and sat down.

"Here, this'll wake you up, ya cranky pants." He smirked and patted my head.

"Yum." I smiled sheepishly and took a small gulp of my coffee, letting out a content sigh.

"Hey Lucy?."

"What?"

"I think I just seen a bird come out of your hair." He joked, a hearty chuckle escaping his lips. He tugged on my hair softly. I hadn't even looked at my reflection. I looked up at my face now through the vanity mirror. My hair really was a mess and I had a red mark on my face from where I was laying on it.

"You're an idiot." A blush appeared on my face. I went for my hair brush but Natsu beat me to it.

"Just eat. I'll help ya today since I'm feeling so generous, even though your annoying alarm woke me up." He flashed me a smile through the mirror. I looked down embarrassed. I hadn't washed my hair yet. What if it smelled? Oh jeez.

"I said eat, Lucy. You're gonna be late." His tone was serious now. He began to brush my hair. I grabbed the toast and started eating. It was a nice feeling having him brush my hair. I closed my eyes, he brushed my hair softly, quietly besides the noises coming from the crunches of my chewing. It was soothing and really arousing, I wished he would do this every day. The thought popped into my head.

When he was done. He sat the brush down and ran his fingers through my blonde strands. This sent a shiver down my back.

"Thank you." I half whispered. I was enjoying that a bit too much. I cleared my throat and took another sip of coffee, trying to help my dry mouth.

"Anytime, my friend," he grinned as he was looking at me, "oops, you missed a button." It was the button where my navel was. I flinched when he got close and began to fasten it.

"Thanks again." I could feel myself getting hot. My blasted heart pumping loudly again, I was not thinking straight and gave him a kiss on the cheek leaving him with a dumbfounded expression. Why did I do that? Maybe I'm still half asleep. He touched his cheek and gave me a shocked smile. I walked away as quickly as I could.

I got to work right on time thanks to Natsu.

My shift couldn't get any longer. I honestly hated 10am to 7pm shifts. My whole day had gone to waste. I barely dragged my feet to the front door, I was too exhausted for words. I opened the door and threw myself on the floor.

"I'm home." I mumbled faced down. The cold linoleum flooring felt refreshing against my tired body.

"Umm, Lucy." Juvia called out. "Get up weirdo, we have company."

"Huh?" I lifted my head and stared at the people in the living room before me. It was Juvia and Gray. No Natsu in sight. But I did notice the really beautiful redhead who sat on my couch. "Oh! Sorry." I stood up.

"Lucy, this is my friend Erza Scarlet." Natsu appeared from the kitchen. I jumped as he scared me. I hadn't even noticed he was in the kitchen. I was too mesmerized by her beauty. _My friend_ he said.

"Hey!" I smiled and scratched the back of my head, "Sorry I had a long day." I smelled like burnt coffee grounds and sweat. But the girl stood up and came to hug me. Her grip was strong. I managed to lock eyes with Juvia. She stared back at me her eyes mocking, almost if her stare was saying 'I told you so'.

"Hello. Nice to meet you. You smell like cake and coffee. Yum." She flashed me a smile. She was so pretty. When did Natsu get such a pretty friend? A slight annoyance gurgled from within my core. I shrugged it off.

"Yeah. I'm a shift manager at Fiore Coffee." I mumbled, "anyway, nice to meet you." I turned my face away from her direction and faced the living room, "I'm really tired so I'm going to go shower and call it a day. Goodnight everyone." I waved.

"You're not hungry? We just finished eating. There's leftovers in the fridge." Natsu placed a hand on my shoulder.

"No, thanks. I'm just tired." I shrugged his hand off. It resulted in him raising an eyebrow at me.

"Come on Lucy. We were about to get tipsy." Juvia said in a sing song voice. I hadn't noticed there was a bottle of flavored vodka on the coffee table.

I was not one to say no to a drink. "Okay…" I scoffed. "Let me just shower real quick."

We sat together on the living room. Gray and Juvia huddled together on the loveseat. Erza, Natsu and I sat on the sofa. We mainly just chit chatted amongst each other but I couldn't help but feel uneasy when Natsu and Erza would drift into their own conversations. They worked for the same company but Erza was in another department. So they would often talk about work and work gossip. I didn't want to admit it to myself but I was getting jealous, a bit too jealous. I had already downed a few shots. I was sitting with my knees to my chest, I was hazily drawing a circle on one of my knees with my finger, a full shot glass on the other hand. I was barely contributing to the conversation when Erza interrupted my drunken stupor.

"So, Lucy. Natsu tells me you both have known each other since you were kids?" Erza asked me. I don't know if she was being nice or nosy.

I gulped down the alcohol. "Yeah, we've been best friends since we were little kids. Our dads knew each other from work and were great friends. Natsu and I practically grew up together." Using the past tense terms made me feel uneasy. I was trying to show dominance towards the redhead. But now I felt bad. I grabbed Natsu's hand with a reassuring grip. Even if it had been three years ago. We never really talked about his dad. We'd visit his grave on the day of his passing. Natsu was a ball of sadness on those days. He squeezed my hand back.

"That's really nice. That is an amazing friendship you two have. Don't ever let go of each other." Her stare was sweet, a slight smile formed. Is this girl my love rival or what? Because I feel like she's rooting me on rather than trying to keep me at bay. Unless that's what she wants me to think.

Using the term love rival made me chuckle out loud. Juvia once called me that thinking I was into Gray. When she noticed the bond Natsu and I had it was hell from there. Her "rivalry" turned into trying to couple us up. I turned to look at the people before me. They were staring wide eyed at my random burst of laughter.

"Yeah, I don't plan on it, ss-sister." I said finally, with a bit too much spunk. I raised our still clasped hands at my friends. Catching everyone off guard. My comment made Natsu laugh which resulted in the others laughing as well.

It was the alcohol talking. I knew my limit of shots was usually six or seven unless I mixed spirits. But I was too annoyed at how close Natsu was with this Erza chick that I kept drinking.

"Lucy, you're totally drunk." Juvia giggled.

"I am not most certainly!" I pointed at Gray with a glassy stare.

"She's over here, ya idiot." He tipped his girlfriend closer to him so that she was within my range.

"Does she always get like this?" Erza raised an eyebrow at Natsu, she was smirking.

"Sometimes." He laughed awkwardly. Was he embarrassed by me?

"Wh- what's your problem?" I raised my voice at him and let go of his hand.

"Alright, nothing is wrong." He tried to calm me down, "Lucy, you dummy we were just enjoying a few shots not trying to go crazy." He nudged my head.

"Who the hell are you calling crazy? You're crazy!" I shoved his shoulder with my shoulder, "You're the one who makes me crazy." I didn't mean to say that out loud.

"Okay, sweetie. Come on. Let's go sober you up." Juvia got up now as she walked towards me.

"Nooo, I wanna stay here with N-natsuu." I cuffed myself around his arm and laid my head on his shoulder.

"I think you should come with me before you say or do something stupid." She whispered trying to be discreet but everyone could clearly hear her. She gave me a death stare, which resulted in me finally complying.

"Lucy. You're a dumbass." Juvia was scolding me.

We were in my room now. I was sitting in my bed fiddling with hair.

"You probably had that chick feeling really embarrassed. We don't even know what is going on with them. I don't even know what goes through his head."

"You're right…" Tears began to form in the corners of my eyes. "I'm so stupid. I made such a fool of myself." I wiped my face with the back of my hands.

"I think you should just get some rest and apologize tomorrow." She placed her hand on my shoulder.

"But what do I do, Juve? I really like Natsu! I like him so much!" I cried to her, my face was wet with my tears.

* * *

**A/N:** Hi! So this was the girl Natsu was with! Poor Lucy's got it bad. The weekend got the best of me and I wasn't able to post this on time. Also, I had a bad case of writer's block. I like to be 2 chapters ahead and right now I'm barely finishing up the next chapter so please bare with me for the next one! Please if you like my fic and have any comments/requests/concerns leave me a review! I love reviews so much, they leave a huge smile on my face knowing that someone out there is actually enjoying my mess of a story lol. Thank you again -Rin


	9. Closure

Chapter 9: Closure

That night was like a blur to me. I woke up in my bed wearing my pajamas like any normal person but I was nowhere near feeling normal. There was a throbbing pain in my head and a hunger in my empty stomach. There was still a lingering smell in my room. It hadn't dawned on me that it was my own vomit. I laid in bed contemplating my life. The sun shining through my window too bright and the pounding in my head too strong. I would've stayed in my bed until I died but the smells from the kitchen were arousing my senses.

I tried to get up and tripped on myself from my alcoholic vertigo. My body landed with a hard thud on the floor.

"Ow." I laid myself out on my bedroom floor. Too tired to get up.

I heard scrambling of feet outside and then the opening of my bedroom door. "You okay? I heard a thud." I looked up at Natsu. He looked at the funny scene before him and chuckled, "you must still be drunk, ya crazy girl."

"I'm dizzy." I mumbled and hid my face on the floorboards.

"Well come on. I made some breakfast!" Natsu shouted with too much enthusiasm. I looked up at the smiling doofus. I hadn't paid attention to him but he had flour in his face and hair and he was wearing my pink apron around his pajamas. The apron matched his hair perfectly. I took a mental picture of the cute image before me. He really melted my heart.

I grabbed his hand and he pulled me up with ease. I bumped into his body, my head was still spinning.

"Easy there, tiger. Foods not going anywhere." I gave him a side eye as we walked towards the kitchen. "Now, I tried. So don't go making fun of me." He had a whole breakfast buffet on the kitchen counter. There was a large omelette, pancakes with bananas, toast and coffee. I was staring at the food with a longing gaze. I knew I puked last night because now I was really starving.

"Well, dig in!" he walked towards the kitchen to grab some plates. I grabbed a stool and sat on the bar. He grabbed the stool next to me, extending a fork to me.

"Thank you. You didn't have to do all this." I went for the omelette first. It had red and green vegetables inside, my eyes went wide as the omelette landed on my tastebuds. The heat and spice swirled in my mouth. "W-water." I coughed. Natsu ran to the pantry and grabbed a bottle of water, opening it and placing it in my outstretched arms. He stared at me feeling guilty, as I frantically gulped the water down.

"Crap. I'm sorry I didn't think it was that spicy for me." He scratched the back of his head awkwardly. I couldn't help but laugh at how cute and guilty he looked, a pained expression planted on his eyes.

"It's okay. I definitely helped with my headache." This brought a smile to his face. "I'm sticking to the pancakes, though. Unless there's pepper on those too?"

"No! My pancakes are a masterpiece!" He slid the plate towards me and a bottle of syrup. Three pancakes laid on top of each other, garnished with a smiley face made out of sliced bananas. "Anyway, I didn't mind. I've been trying to hone my cooking skills. All I needs is some fire and a pan!" he grabbed a spatula and held it like a weapon.

"You're an idiot…" I chuckled and let out a loud sigh, "I know I got too drunk last night. I honestly can't even remember what happened. I'm sorry if I embarrassed you in front of your friend, Erza." I couldn't even look at him, I stabbed my pancakes with a fork.

"Don't worry about that stuff, Lucy. You didn't-..." his dark eyes were sincere, "now are you going to keep stabbing my smiley face or are ya gonna eat 'em?" he sat down next to me and scarfed down the omelette.

"Oh yeah, sorry." He gave me a smile with a mouthful. I had a feeling he was just trying to make me feel better. I lathered syrup on my pancakes and tried to eat.

We were eating in silence, there was that tension again, when Gray and Juvia walked out of their room.

"It smells good in here!" Juvia walked up to us with Gray trailing behind her.

"Where are you two going so early in the morning?" Natsu asked staring at the duo on the doorway.

"We're going out for breakfast!" Juvia responded, hugging Gray's arm.

"What about you, Lucy? You feeling hungover still after your little-..." Juvia elbowed Gray on his stomach stopping him mid sentence.

"My little what?" I groaned. Damn it. What did I do last night? My head was desperately trying to remember.

"Nothing!" He grunted in pain, his arms on his abdomen.

"What Gray meant was…" Juvia couldn't come up with a valid reason, "help me out here Natsu!"

"You were acting loony and barfed in the bathroom." Natsu answered.

"And?" I couldn't help but ask.

"You puked. I gave you a shower and helped you get dressed. I never knew you were a Brazilian wax type of girl, though." She giggled. I immediately blushed and looked at Natsu for a reaction, he was almost as red as I was, he adjusted himself on the stool.

"Juvia!" I bit my lip. She cackled. Even Gray was uncomfortable at his girlfriend's filter-less mouth.

"But that's all you did, hon. Nothing else happened." she squeezed my shoulder and smiled.

"Oh." it was all I could mutter. I knew there was more. If it had anything to do with Natsu, then Juvia was not going to tell me in front of him. I had to ask her when we were alone.

"Anyway, we're going to head out. You two have fun now." Gray chortled.

"Bye, you two." Juvia added. Just like that they were gone. Our silence from before continued.

"I'm going to clean up since you cooked for me, okay?" I began to gather the dishes. From the small knowledge I gathered just now I couldn't look at Natsu in the eye.

"Ya sure? I can help." Natsu answered. I nodded as I began to gather the dirty dishes in the sink. I was about to wash the dishes when I noticed the soap dispenser was empty.

"We don't have soap?" I spoke to Natsu. He was in the living room skimming through TV channels, laying down on the couch in all his glory, one hand on his full stomach and the other on the remote.

"Huh?" His gaze still glued to the TV.

"There's no soap. I can't wash the dishes."

"Then let's go to the store. I need to get some things too anyway." He met my gaze and I looked away quickly.

"Okay." I had a few items I needed too.

We walked inside the supermarket, Natsu was holding the cart and I walked beside him. I had a mini list of my own things to gather and things for the apartment. Our drive mainly consisted of us talking about the things we needed. I wasn't keen on grocery shopping. I loved shopping for clothes and shoes but groceries were a pain in the neck and Natsu had felt the same way. Our game plan was in place, we had to be out of there as quickly as possible.

"So we're going to the fruit and veggie aisle first and then dairy, followed by soaps and toiletries. Deal?"

"Don't forget the snacks."

"Snacks?" I curled my lip, "that's not on the list."

"Well, it's what I came here for."

"Okay. Whatever. After dairy then we'll head for the snacks." I rolled my eyes, which resulted in a bright grin coming from Natsu.

"You can't keep me from my one true love, Lucy."

"What are you mumbling about?"

"Flamin' hot cheetos."

"You're stupid." I giggled. Miraculously there was no tension as we continued our trek through the store. Natsu made jokes as the cart began to get full and teased me for my choice of snacks.

"Ketchup potato chips are not that bad." I bit my lip. I hadn't tried those in a while and since I was here already I figured fulfilling one of my guilty pleasures wasn't all that bad.

"They're gross, Lucy. I can't believe you like those and they stink."

"Your snack is gross. The spice is too overwhelming and those snacks made a few kids sick from what I saw on the news."

"You forget I have a fire pit for a stomach, I engulf everything in my wrath."

"Says the one who barfs his brains out on a moving vehicle if he doesn't take medication."

Natsu stood there stumped. I was right. He carried motion sickness pills with him whenever he had to drive, takes the bus or just go on anything that moves that aren't his own two feet.

"Touche." He laughed.

I stuck my tongue at him and laughed back. For a moment, things felt like before. We stood eerily close to each other out arms touching as we walked together. If it wasn't for Natsu holding the cart I wouldn't doubt we'd hold hands. Er- scratch that. Friends don't hold hands.

We were reaching the end of our trek as I stood in front of the last item I needed. I blushed as I eased my way into the aisle. The boxes and bags of tampons and pads mocking me as I had to pick one in front of Natsu. I mean he knows I get my period and he's seen his fair share of female toiletries in the past. We share a bathroom. But it was really awkward now. I looked at Natsu through my lashes. He was on his phone trying to distract himself, if I didn't know any better a slight sheen of pink tickled his cheeks. I scanned the aisle quickly and grabbed the first thing I could.

"Super Plus! For those super leaks!" Natsu joked.

"What?" I looked down at the box and my eyes went wide. That's not what I was going for. I cursed the box of tampons. "Those aren't it!" He could tell I was flustered as I put the box back and grabbed the Regular size one next to it.

"I'm sorry, Lucy. Your reaction was hilarious" He held on to his abdomen from laughing.

I glared at him with a flushed face. "That's not funny!" My hands balled into fists. I was staring at him when my eyes adjusted to the person behind Natsu. It was Laxus. He was walking by. I don't think he saw us.

"What's wrong?" He noticed the look of horror in my face.

"It's Laxus." I covered my mouth and hid behind the cart. Natsu turned around to where I was looking.

"There's no one there."

"He just passed by. I think we should leave." I tried to walk past Natsu but he held me instead. What's his deal? I looked up at him. My eyes met his worried sad eyes.

"Do you still have a thing for him?" he half whispered. His hands held my arms in place.

"N-no."

"Then what's the big deal? Fuck that guy. He's not worth you getting worked up over." he said spitefully. "If he bothers you again, I'll give him the good ol' Natsu treatment."

His grip on my arms eased up but he was still holding me in place. He was right. But it was strange to see him either way. I didn't want to confront him, but if I had too I'm glad I had Natsu here with me.

"Thank you." I hugged him. My head resting on his chest. He hugged me back. Our hug was intimate but it was reminiscent of our old times as just good friends and nothing more.

"Ahem." I heard someone clearing their throat. I let go of Natsu and I was met with the person I was dreading of seeing. Laxus. His blond locks were unruly on top of his head. He had a smirk on his face. He was still dashingly handsome there was no denying that. But, he was a cheater and a jerk. I had to stand up to him.

"Well if it isn't my ex-girlfriend and her _best friend_." He let out a dry laugh. He emphasized best friend in a mocking way. I honestly would've fought him for saying it that way. But right now, he was sort of right. There was something between me and Natsu, whether I wanted to admit it or not.

"I have nothing to say to you." I planted my feet on the ground. There was so much I wanted to know regarding his infidelity but there was no point in bringing up the past.

"Whaddya want, Laxus?" Natsu glared, he held my hand, our fingers interlocked.

"To confirm what I already knew. I knew I saw you and pinky here but I had to see for myself." he was talking to me. When we used to date, he'd refer to Natsu as 'pinky' it used to be to bother me about it but there was malice in his tone now.

"You know what? Whatever. You can think whatever you want. Let's just go, Natsu." I let go of his hand and grabbed our grocery cart. He gave us another dry laugh.

"Hey Lucy. You know what Natsu told me that day at my apartment?" he stopped me in my tracks.

"I'd shut the fuck up if you knew what's good for ya." Natsu spat. What did Natsu tell him that day? I was curious but I never asked, more importantly I didn't want to know. I didn't want to know anything about that day.

"Oh, come on. I'm sure she's curious."

"Do ya wanna take this outside?"

"I still haven't gotten revenge for last time. Don't test me, _boy_." Laxus was taller than him but he wasn't the least bit worried. He was mocking him, not only his stature but the fact that he was older than him. Seven years to be exact.

"Fuck it. Bring it-," Natsu began but he was interrupted by me.

"Stop it! Both of you!" I yelled trying to get in between, "I don't want to hear any lies you have to say, Laxus. We're done. Get over it, already!" I was really glaring at him, "Let's go, Natsu!"

"Uh, right. Let's go home." We walked out of the aisle. As I was turning away I caught a glimpse of Laxus. He was no longer laughing. There was anger and sadness swirling in his gray eyes.

For a moment I felt a weight lift off my shoulders. I had confronted him in a minuscule way but I stood my ground. No tears and no violence! It was a successful encounter, especially if you consider how horrible I acted when I caught him. I was completely over him and that stupid chapter of my life. Who knew that a new chapter was soon to start. One that wasn't exactly a walk in the park.

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**A/N: **I wanted to have a fun little fluffy chapter. I knew I said I wasn't going to bring up Laxus. But I wanted Lucy to get closure. For her sake, she needed it. Thank you for the reviews! Omg. They gave me motivation to write and now I'm back on track and finishing up chapter 13! Which is why I'm updating earlier than intended.

Also Wolf957 your idea is interesting. Please PM me so we can discuss more. :)

I'll be back in a few days with chapter 10! I appreciate you all! Once again if ya like it so far follow/fave if you haven't already and reviews are the lifeline to continue this so please review -Rin


	10. Feelings

**A/N: **Chapter 10 already! This calls for a celebration! Cliffhangers! *runs away*

(side note: the italicized text is actually a song called The Way I Feel Inside by the Zombies, which was sung in the movie Sing with the singing animals. I love Johnny the gorilla so much. okay? T-T)

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_"Should I try to hide, the way I feel inside? My heart, for you? Would you say that you would try to love me too? In your mind could you ever be really close to me? I can tell the way you smile. If I feel that I could be certain then, I would say the things I want to say tonight. But till I can see that you'd really care for me, I will dream that someday you'll be really close to me."_

Chapter 10: Feelings

The days were colder now. As October was quickly coming to an end. It was a Thursday evening. Several days passed since Juvia had informed me I was being a jealous weirdo in front of Natsu's friend. If that wasn't bad enough, I've been very adamant in avoiding him. I wasn't being obvious, though. I was just extra busy at work. But the less time we spent together the better.

I was at work inputting some information on the computer in the back of the shop when I heard the door open. It was my supervisor and friend, Cana.

"Hey girl! Are you putting in the orders?" she asked me.

"Hey Cana, yes I just finished inventory so I'm adding up what we have to order to stock up."

"Perfect. Order me some extra of that chocolate liqueur that we're adding for the new alcoholic coffee beverage we're selling."

"Really?" I smirked. "I wonder what the owner is going to think."

"I think I can bypass good ol' daddy Gildarts, no problem. But I really wanna try that drink." She let out a big toothy grin, her long brown wavy hair was in a high ponytail. Since she was the owners daughter she'd often wore whatever she wanted, usually she preferred jeans and tank tops with ample cleavage showing. She had the biggest tits I'd ever seen, that's for sure.

"Then just take one from the ones we already ordered, why do I need to order more?"

"You know I'm going to need more than one cup for me to actually acquire the taste."

"Psh. Okay, I guess, but if I get in trouble I'm blaming you!" I pointed my index finger at her.

"Thank you, my friend." she gave me a big smile. "I told my dad let's open a pub but noo he had to open a coffee shop!" she grumbled.

I laughed, "No prob-" My phone started vibrating in my pants pocket, interrupting me. I smile lit up my face, without realizing, when I saw the caller ID 'Best Friend Natsu (fire emoji)' with a picture of us doing the peace sign shined across my entire screen. "Hold on." I told Cana.

"Hey, what's up?"

"Oi Lucy. Where did you put away my soda cans?"

"Oh, sorry I put them in the cupboard by the sink. There was no space in the pantry."

"Alright" I heard scuffling in the background, "found them, thanks. Sorry to bother ya. Bye!"

"It's okay. Later." I hung up and put the phone back in my pants back pocket.

"Ooh, was it Natsu?" Cana had a sly smile.

"Yeah..." I continued my order on the computer.

"Your face totally lit up when he called. What's going on with you two, by the way? You haven't told me anything since you told me about him sucking on your neck." she wagged her eyebrows.

"Oh." A blush tickled my cheeks. "Actually, I forgot to tell you. I kissed him." I covered my mouth with my hands.

"What?! No way. I didn't think you had the balls!" She ruffled my bangs. "So what did you feel? Are you two a thing now?"

"It was amazing, girl I- but no. Not quite." A bead of sweat formed on my forehead. "I'm scared. I don't want to ruin what we have. But I can't suppress my feelings anymore."

"You silly girl. Lucy, life is too short to be scared. You need to take the bull by the horns and ride 'em cowgirl; or rather take the Natsu by the horns and ride him to pound town." She laughed. I instantly blushed at her perverted comment.

"But in all seriousness, you both have a thing for each other. It doesn't hurt to try."

"Ugh. This is all too much." I sighed.

"Oh Lucy! How about you let me read your cards, please!" She clasped her hands together and pouted.

"You asked me already and I said no."

"But don't you want more insight. It might help you decide. The cards never lie!"

"Uh… Fine. I hope I don't regret it." I nibbled on the inside of my cheek.

"Let me go to my car really quick and grab 'em! Finish the orders and I'll be right back."

I was sitting in the lobby in one of our empty tables with Cana in front of me, she was shuffling her cards with ease. A bottle of wine was on the table. Cana was the weirdo that carried wine in her car. How she still has a license is a mystery all in itself. We had already closed up shop and sent everyone home.

She spread the shuffled deck in a half circle across the table.

"Pick three cards of your choosing. Whichever ones you want." she took a sip of wine straight from the bottle.

"Uh, okay." I reached in and hesitantly picked up three cards.

"Okay from your left turn over the first card."

I closed my eyes and flipped the card.

"The stars!" I opened my eyes to Cana's squeal.

"What does that mean?" I stared at the card, there was a star there for sure and also a naked lady. These cards were confusing.

"It means hope and faith!" her eyes lit up, "See girl that's a good sign. You need to have faith in yourself and hope that you and your man, Natsu can work through anything and prosper." she was really confident in her explanation.

"He's not my man." I blushed.

"Next card! Flip it!"

I did as I was told this time my eyes were opened wide. More intrigued than scared. "The Fool" was written on the card and a medieval jester was on the center of it, this card was facing Cana and not me.

"The fool. It means both of you are being fools!" She chuckled, "I'm just kidding. The fool stands for new beginnings but because it is reversed for you, it means you're holding back on something that can be a new positive change for you."

"You're right about that one." I hugged myself, her explanation was spot on. I took her bottle and took a quick chug.

"Flip your last card."

I flipped the card and my face turned bright red. It was a picture of a naked woman and a naked man standing under an angel. But I sort of knew what this one meant.

"THE LOVERS!" She was full on squealing now. "Lucy! If this isn't a sign for you, I don't know what to tell you, girl. This card is self-explanatory but it means soulmates."

"I don't know if I'm more confused now than before."

"No, no, no! There is no confusion. My cards don't lie. This is more than a hobby, ya know. I have never had a customer who was dissatisfied with my readings and they pay me good money! I'm doing this for free because you're my girl! Stop the nonsense and tell him how you feel!"

She was a hundred percent right. I couldn't hold myself back. After our kiss five days ago. There hadn't been any progress between us. I didn't admit it to myself but I was dying to feel his lips pressed against mine again. We were friendly with each other (when I wasn't trying to avoid him at all costs) but there was still that lingering -_sexual_\- tension.

"I hate that you're so right, Cana. Thank you. I have a lot of things to think about." I bit my lip, "But I definitely feel more brave than before. I think I'm going to talk to him..."

"You totally got it bad, hon." she chuckled and downed the rest of her wine.

I left work with a confident stride. I was going to confess to him. Even if I was terrified of the outcome. My feelings for Natsu were true and I knew now that he felt the same way. The kiss we shared proved it. I drove home singing along to my favorite pop songs, feeling genuinely happy for the first time in a long while.

I had come up with how to bring it up to him. I was going to barge into his room and just blurt it out. Then he'd kiss me and we'd get a little hot and- okay. Let me not get ahead of myself. I let out a little giggle as I walked towards my apartment door.

I opened the door slightly and I was instantly met with Natsu and Erza standing unbearably close in the living room. I don't think they had noticed me but I was frozen in place unable to move. My heart fluttering like crazy in my chest. I saw Erza wipe her face with her palms. Was she crying? She hugged Natsu her arms laced around his back and he hugged her back too, his arms around her. I shouldn't be watching this. But my body couldn't move. Erza was the one facing me and she noticed me and let go of Natsu. She tried to walk towards me and I saw Natsu turn and look at me too. His scared gaze got me out of trance. My face was beet red.

"Uh, I'm s-sorry." I slammed the door shut and ran away to my car.

"Lucy- wait!" I heard Natsu yell from the apartment. I was already back in my car and reversing when he was running after me. I didn't want to be there. So I drove without looking back.

I ended up driving to a lake by the outskirts of town. I didn't even have a place to go too. Why did I run away in the first place? He's entitled to have a girlfriend. I shouldn't have acted the way I did. But it was too late now.

One moment I was entirely ready to confess my feelings without thinking about what he wanted. Now I was crying in my car like an idiot because he already had someone else. If she's his girlfriend why did he kiss me? Tears began streaming down my face.

"Why are you playing with my emotions, you jerk?!" I yelled inside my empty car. My phone was blowing up with his calls. I don't know for how long but I cried. I cried until tears couldn't come out. I was embarrassed. I was ashamed. I cried more out of embarrassment, than anything.

Did I actually believe there could be something between us?

I waited for him to finally stop calling me. I checked my phone. It was nearly three in the morning. I figured it was a good time to head home. I'm sure Natsu was asleep anyway since he had to work in a few hours. I drove home in silence now. Dry tears plastered on my face and a sad heart beating softly in my chest.

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**A/N: **I can explain! It's just- well, I- ... Okay. You're just going to have to wait for the next chapter. Sorry ._. But I won't keep ya in suspense very long. I will post the next chapter on Friday! I had to research tarot cards for this chapter lmao.

I honestly never thought I'd get to 10 chapters to begin with! I intend for this fic to have a good 20-25 chapters, hopefully. But you know what they say, rainbows come after rainy days. A rainbow with fluff and lemony goodness! Thank you all for inspiring me to continue. This little tidbit will be over soon! -Rin


	11. Misunderstandings

**A/N: **I kept my promise! I would've posted earlier but life was kicking me with errands today! BEFORE READING KEEP IN MIND THIS IS NATSU POV CHAPTER! I didn't want to italicize the whole chapter, since it might hurt y'alls eyes, I think. ANYWAY its nice to see a day in the life of modern AU Natsu lol -Rin

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Chapter 11: Misunderstandings

Natsu POV: Today was a good day. I woke up from an amazing dream. The protagonist of said dream was a pretty hot blonde and let's just say, her mouth was doing amazing things to me. Ahem. If only real life was like this dream. Besides that I woke up in a good mood despite Lucy and I having no progression. I'll wait forever if I have to. Although, I don't want to. Am I an asshole to think that way? I just-...

At least the weather was nice and I wasn't suffocating in my work attire like during the warmer months. I liked my job, though. But my all time favorite part of the day was lunch time. I was usually starving by the time 12:30 PM hit. I was finishing up some paperwork when I heard a knock on my door.

"Yeah?"

"It's Erza." I heard my redheaded friend say through the wooden door.

"Come on in. Why you knocking for?"

"Is that annoyance in your tone?" the redhead glared at me. She was scary when she wanted to be. Being that she was in a higher position than me I had to comply.

"No ma'am." I winced.

"I'm just teasing you," she chuckled, "you're going to lunch?"

"Yep, just finishing this up really quick."

"Great, let's go together then."

"What about-"

"He's too busy and doesn't need any of my help apparently so now I'm going to lunch!" she stomped her heels.

"Hmm. Someone's salty." She glared at me. I gathered what I was doing and we walked out of my office.

Erza was fidgeting with a planner she held. She was a well composed woman and came off as scary but when it came to her boss and boyfriend Jellal, she became a mess. It was honestly endearing in a way.

We used to bump heads when I first started but we became good friends. For one, we both were hopeless. She had a major crush on her boss and it almost seemed like a case of unrequited love (that was until he asked her out). Which I could sympathize considering where I stood with Lucy. She and I became confidants at first and friendship came soon after.

"So, what happened?" I turned to look at her, my arms were crossed behind my neck. We were walking to the cafeteria.

"Nothing. I'm fine. He deliberately acted like a jerk when all I was trying to do was help him."

"Did you talk to him about it?"

"No, we are at work. I don't meddle our personal lives with work affairs. We have decided to keep things that way to avoid conflicts to arise."

She had it all planned out I guess. Then again she was his personal assistant. Personal assistant to the president of the company, as a matter of fact. So, I would guess it's best to keep things that way.

"You're eating that for lunch?" We sat down at the cafeteria. I stared at Erza's plate. A large slice of strawberry cake laid before her.

"Sweets calm my nerves. You're one to talk. Look at that mountain of grease that you're scarfing down your throat," She was mad.

"Well, I like this mountain of grease, thanks!" I began to devour spoonfuls of rice and a chicken leg on my other hand. The cafeteria workers found my large appetite amusing and would always serve me extra.

"You're an animal," she smirked, "I don't know how Lucy puts up with your antics."

"Cuth I her beth fend," I said with a mouthful, a few rice falling out as I spoke. ('cuz I'm her best friend.)

"Anyway, are things progressing? She's really cute. You never told me she was quite a babe."

"Omf courthe the ith!" I mumbled and began to swallow, "Of course she is. Things are still the same," I pouted.

"Really? Her spout of jealousy towards me that night was clear that she has feelings for you and also the fact that she kissed you first. Why hasn't she made a move yet?"

"I don't know. I want to make another move but I don't wanna freak her out, ya know. I want her to be sure she wants to be with me."

"You've only been crushing on this girl for how long now, Natsu?"

"Since like 10 years ago, probably," it was more than 10 years ago but I didn't want to sound like a loser.

I liked Lucy probably since I had any affinity towards the female body. I used to poke fun and make fun of her when we were little kids but when I began to see girls differently. I was lost. Succumbed to the one girl who had been there with me through everything. It was a crush at first and eventually I felt myself falling for the blonde with the warm brown eyes. Everything about her was amazing. She was kind and funny. Even when she was grumpy in the mornings, she was beautiful in my eyes. I'm not even mentioning, what her body does to my sanity. My feelings had been bottled up for so long. For years I tried to stop liking her but she always managed to reel me back in.

"Wow. Well you're certainly tenacious, I'll give you that. Do you need my help again? Maybe if I go talk to her."

"No. I think you've done enough, thanks."

"Jealousy is a form of flattery, Natsu. You'll see. But you're right. She's probably not too fond of me." She smirked.

"You're evil, ya know that," I finished up my meal.

"I'm just enjoying myself. You two are so intriguing," her tawny eyes gleamed, she took the last bite of her cake, "well I better get back to work, Jellal is probably waiting for me. See you soon," she got up and left.

The worst part of my day was beginning. After lunch, all I wanted to do was take a nap. But the heap of paperwork in my office was calling my name, unfortunately for me.

I had managed to make a dent on my workload by the end of the day so I was ready to go home. I gathered my things and reached in my desk drawer until I found my bottle of prescribed motion sickness pills. I popped one in my mouth and put the bottle back in my desk and I ran out the door.

"Hey Natsu!" I looked back as I was walking towards my truck to find Erza walking towards me. Her eyes looked red and her cheeks were puffy.

"Hey, ya alright there?" I gave her a concerned look.

"Yes. I just need a friend tonight. Do you mind?" she looked really upset.

"Not at all. I was going home to make some dinner. If ya wanna join me."

"Yes. Thank you." She opened the passenger's side door.

Great. I was just going to make a bowl of ramen but now I really had to cook.

…

We were sitting in the kitchen bar eating what I can only describe as pasta. I threw a bunch of spinach, peppers and chicken mixed with alfredo sauce and spaghetti. It was freaking good, if I do say so myself.

"So, you gonna keep moping or what?"

"Excuse me?" She stabbed the pasta with her fork.

"I mean, what's eating at ya? You wanna talk right. Let it out."

"Me and Jellal got into a big fight." she bit her lip.

"Again? What about?"

"It was particularly my fault. I hadn't planned an event that he had asked me for but he was never concise with me in regards to it. So I never planned it. If it weren't for me being his girlfriend, I was sure he was going to fire me."

"Is that going to affect the company?"

"No, it was a ridiculous event for a small company that won't affect the company's performance or growth at all."

"So what's his deal then?"

"He feels I altered his trust towards me. Jellal is a consistent and precise man. He doesn't accept failures or mistakes. I let my emotions get the better of me and I lost my composure with him, when he called me incompetent."

"You two are hilarious," I laughed, "you just need to talk to him. You're the most annoyingly competent person I know so you'll both get through it. So much for keeping work and relationships separate, huh."

"I guess you're right." she sighed. She really must not be in her right mind if I just called her annoying and she didn't even fight back.

I cleaned up while Erza sat on the couch, she was talking up a storm with Gray who had just arrived home from work.

"So where's your girlfriend now?" Erza asked.

"She's a coach for a swim team and they're doing a competition in Hargeon. So she's staying the night over there with her team."

"That's amazing. I wish her team well. You can tell she's a bright woman."

"Yeah, sorry if she comes a bit territorial."

"Nonsense. She's just a woman fighting for what's hers." Erza let out a chuckle.

"Yeah but she can get out of hand."

"What?! Don't speak ill of your girlfriend like that!" Erza yelled at Gray, which resulted in a terrified stare coming from him. Gray sure enough will soon know Erza's wrath. Honestly it was one of her charms she can get comfortable with someone really quickly.

"Sorry. I wasn't…" he stared at the redhead wide-eyed. I couldn't help but laugh at seeing Gray tense up.

"Well, uh anyway, it was nice to see ya again. I'm going to hit the sack. Later Natsu, Erza." Gray began to remove his shirt as he walked away.

"What the hell? Do that in your own room. We have a guest right now, ya perv." I intervened now as I sat on the couch.

"Shut up, pyro." He rolled his eyes at me and went inside his room.

"I think I'm going to go now too. I'm honestly trying to keep my composure but I'm too distraught." She got up from the couch and began to tear up. "I'm not incompetent and he should've acted more civilized towards me. If I'm his girlfriend he should have known better than to mistreat me!" She began to cry. I had never seen her get this way.

"Hey. it's alright. You both just needa talk it out." I stood up now. I had no idea what else to say.

"I'm sorry." She wiped her tears with her hands and then she hugged me. Now, we're friends but not hug me while I cry type of friends so she caught me completely off guard. I hugged her back. "Its okay." I whispered.

"Lucy." I heard her grumble under her breath as she let go of me. I turned around and sure enough she was there standing by the door way, a look of horror etched on her face.

"Uh, I'm s-sorry." I heard her say.

Please don't misinterpret this...

She slammed the door.

"Lucy- wait!" I ran and yelled after her. But it was too late. She was backing up the driveway and she drove off.

Erza came running out behind me. "I'm so sorry." Her face was still red from crying.

"You didn't do anything wrong. It's my fault. I shouldn't have waited so long to confess to her or make a move. Now she thinks I've betrayed her." I was angry with myself. I was so concerned with trying to make her fall for me that the most important thing was to show her how much I loved her. In honesty, I wanted to be emotionally ready and financially stable so that I could provide for her. Not to mention I was always terrified of losing her. I had to confess to her now. I'm sure she was crying now because of me, a pang of guilt engulfed my entire being.

"You need to call her and look for her. I sincerely apologize, again. If you'll excuse me, my uber driver is here."

"Stop apologizing, woman. I'll see you tomorrow at work then." She walked away.

I called Lucy about a hundred times and she didn't answer once. I drove for a few hours looking for her small silver car but my pills lost their effect. I had to go home or I wouldn't be able to drive like this. I was going to wait for her there, no matter what. I had to resolve this. I couldn't let this pass anymore.

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**A/N: **Erza is that ride or die type of friend. I already can't wait for y'all to read the next chapter! Please if you liked it so far or have any comments leave me a review! They make this overworked mama really happy! Thanks for reading! See ya next week! -Rin


	12. Reconciliation

Hi! I can't believe how long it's been. I feel so bad keeping y'all in suspense! I lost the battle with life and responsibilities uwu. This chapter was done for awhile now but I had minor edits to do… sorry ':(

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Chapter 12: Reconciliation

I was exhausted by the time I reached my apartment. I was exhausted from crying. I was ready to go to sleep and feign that this ever happened (and await the impending nightmare soon to come). I walked inside my apartment, engulfing myself in it's utter darkness.

"Lucy?" I heard Natsu whisper, he stood up from the couch. I jolted in response. I had no idea he was still waiting for me. I ignored him and continued walking to my room.

"Lucy, please. Can we talk?" a rough hand grabbed my arm.

"Not right now." I sniffled. His grip on my arm was still strong.

"Come on, please." He whispered. He got closer to me now, his breath tickling my ear as he stood behind me.

"You're a jerk." I tried to pull away from him, "all you've done is played with my emotions." the words escaped from my lips.

"I've played with you?" His voice was harsher, "What are you rambling on about? I think you're misund-"

"Listen, the kiss was a mistake. Don't worry about it. I've already forgotten about it. So you should too." I was still facing away from him.

"What?" He let go of me now. I tried to walk away but he got in front of me, trying to meet my gaze. "Can you look at me? Do ya mean that?"

No, I didn't mean it. But what am I supposed to think. He kisses me and then I see him having an intimate moment with a 'friend' and to make matters worse, I was overreacting and being too difficult for my own good. What do I do? I was already in too deep. I had acted impulsively and ran away like an idiot.

"No…" I whispered. His face was just inches from mine now but I was too ashamed to look at him. In the end, I shouldn't be upset. Maybe I misinterpreted his actions this entire time.

"Then why did ya have to say that for?" I could feel his stare on my face. "Lucy?" He lifted my chin up with his left hand to meet his eyes. Even in the dim lighting, I could clearly see his black orbs were dull, the sparkles that were always there were gone.

"Don't you realize by now how much I love you?" He asked, his eyes searching for something in mine.

What? He loves me? I mean we have told each other, we loved each other that was nothing new, but why did it feel so different this time?

"What?" my voice was hoarse.

"You're the only one I want to be with. It's been that way for a long time now. There is no one else but you, silly." He rested his forehead against mine. That was enough for me to let go of any inhibitions and completely melt in his arms. I hugged him in a tight squeeze, his arms embracing me. Without thinking, I was tearing up. All the stiffness that was lingering between us for awhile now dissipated. Natsu pulled away and looked at me. His hands cupped my face and his thumbs wiped the tears from my eyes.

"I love you, Lucy." He gave me an endearing smile and then he kissed me. A wave of relief crashed onto me. I got closer to him deepening our kiss. His arms were around my neck and I rested my hands on his hips. We kissed for a little while and then we held each other. My head resting on his chest and Natsu rested his head on top of mines. We were leaning against the wall.

It was a sweet moment, that is until I heard Natsu snoring softly. Seriously? How he managed to fall asleep in such a moment and standing up, no less. Mind you, we were still in the hallway. I let out a soft laugh and rubbed his back, "Hey, let's go to sleep. You have to work in a few." I moved my head and he jolted.

"Huh?" he mumbled, "I just had the nicest dream."

"Let's go to sleep. Come on." I pushed him off me.

"No, I wanna stay with you." He hugged me again and I couldn't help but blush at the sudden clinginess. He rested his whole body weight on me.

"Okay let's go sit on the couch then. You're too heavy." I pushed him away.

"Alrighty." He yawned as he hazily led me to the couch. I was exhausted myself.

He sat down and I was going to sit next to him when he pulled me instead and brought me to his lap. "Stay here." he whispered.

"But-..." My heart was beating erratically in my chest. His hand held me in place. In an instant he was snoring again and it didn't take much for me to drift off to sleep too despite the loud pounding in my chest.

I had a dream. It was more like a memory than a dream. Natsu and I were teenagers again. We were about 13 or 14. We were at the neighborhood park where we used to live by.

_"I bet I can run to the monkey bars faster than you!" I grinned at Natsu who was walking beside me. We had just gotten off from school and the park was our after school hangout spot for us a few other kids from the neighborhood._

_"You're on!" he shouted, his brace face gleaming._

_We laughed as I ran after him. I never stood a chance against him but I knew how happy he'd get whenever I tried to challenge him with anything. _

_"No fair! You got a head start!" I yelled after him. I didn't notice there was a rock in front of me and I tripped and scraped my knees. "Owww!" _

_Natsu heard my cry and ran to me. "Hey, are you ok?" he tried to help me up._

_"Yeah, it just hurts." I rubbed my skinned knees. My uniform skirt was dusty and the knee-high socks were tattered and bloodied at the knee part. I tried to stand up but it was uncomfortable to walk._

"_I'll help you." He smiled and carried me in a cradle. His arms held me and I could hear his beating heart. For the first time, I blushed and looked away shyly, he was way too close. My heart began to flutter._

"_Geez, you're freakin' heav-" he was interrupted by his own bodily function as he let out a loud burp. The smell of nachos and root beer punched me in the face. All traces of blushing were instantly gone._

"_You're disgusting!" I laughed as I covered my nose with my hands. Natsu just laughed along with me as we walked to my house. _

_"You're not exactly light, ya know! Your weight knocked the wind right out of me."_

_"You jerk!" I giggled as I punched his chest softly._

It was a memory I had forgotten completely. I guess little old me did find the pink-haired boy attractive at times. Nothing I ever denied, I was well aware that my best friend was handsome. He as rambunctious as he was, managed to get girls' attention. Although, since I've known him, he had only one serious relationship in his past and it was a high school sweetheart that lasted for almost two years.

I was startled by Natsu who moved me to the side softly so that he could get ready for work. I pretended to be asleep, I barely had an hour and a half of asleep. If it hadn't been for my dream I wouldn't have even felt him move me. Now that we have aired our dirty laundry, I was on the bend at how to react. How do you go from best friends to lovers? Something I didn't even know. I was not prepared for the hardships that come with dating someone you've known your entire life or that sometimes being overzealous isn't a good thing.

* * *

_(Natsu POV: I don't know how I managed to hear my alarm. But I somehow did. I woke up with Lucy halfway on top of me, her upper body rested on my lap. I wouldn't trade my stiff neck and 2 hours of sleep if I knew I was going to miss this. _

_But seriously, though I was walking on air. I finally confessed. It was a heavy weight on my shoulder for years and the relief was way too good. I wanted to scream and shout. But first I had to get her off of me before my morning hard on says good morning. I couldn't wait to get this day over with so I can see Lucy and we can talk about it. I was too excited to say the least... If only I knew then that there is a thin line between love and obsession and I was dangerously close to the breaking point.)_

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A/N: Before you hate me, there's a reason those little cliffhangers are there. Looking back at how Natsu has been and how Lucy is. There's still things that linger and they have to fix before their _happily ever after! _But they're together now and love conquers all!

I wanted to thank the reviewers, I acknowledge all of you and thank you so much. It's the comments that keep me going. I never thought I'd reach such a large following omg it almost makes me feel bad for when I disappoint you all. JK lol But keep reviewing because that butters me up and makes me write more! Thank u all again -Rin

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Hey... Are you still here? I'm working on something new! ITS ANOTHER NALU *kids cheering recording* I think it's so cute and lots of fluffy angsty goodness! If you like that stuff please check it out on my profile called "Accidentally In Love" Check out a snippet below:

"Chapter 1: Can you babysit for me?

Lucy is typing…

Lucy: Hey Wendy! Can you pretty please babysit Celi for me this weekend? PLEASE!

Wendy: Aw crap, Lucy OMG! I'm not going to be in Magnolia this weekend. I'm staying with my dad in Hargeon.

L: You're kidding! I really needed you this weekend! :'(

W: Wait hold on!

(10 minutes later)

Wendy is typing…

W: Can my brother Natsu babysit for you instead?"

It's not one of those text fics! It just starts out that way you for making it this far! we are now friends for life. no takesies backsies.


	13. Life's A Bitch

Chapter 13: Life's A Bitch

I woke up with the sounds of noises in the kitchen. I didn't even know what time it was. I was still in the living room as I opened my eyes. Remembering what happened earlier this morning. I looked at the time on my phone. It was 2pm.

"You're awake." Juvia came up and sat on the love seat.

"Ugh, yeah." I yawned, "you just got back?"

"Yeah, the competition was rough this year. But we managed to pull second place!" She shouted happily.

"Really?! That's amazing, Juve! I knew you were an awesome coach!" I sat up and walked to the kitchen.

"But there are more pressing matters at hand, Heartfilia." She scolded me and followed me into the kitchen.

"Huh?" I was prepping a coffee when she caught me off guard.

"How come you fell asleep on the couch?"

"Oh." I couldn't help but slightly blush. I tried to hide it by covering my face with my coffee mug. "I got home so tired last night. I didn't even bother to shower." It wasn't a lie. But Juvia knew me. She knew everything that had been going on. I'm sure Gray probably had seen us on the couch together. He goes to work earlier than Natsu does. Knowing those two he's already gossiped about it to his girlfriend too.

"Hmmm." She eyed me, "a little birdie told me you didn't fall asleep alone."

"Yeah, Natsu and I were talking and we fell asleep." I wasn't ready to talk about things. Not yet at least.

"Okay, if you say so… But if you need to talk. You know you can count on me, right?"

"I know! You're my BFF. That's not going to change." I gave her a smile.

"Good answer."

I had managed to get Juvia to back off for today and that was a feat in itself.

I made myself something quick to eat and went to take a bath. I could still smell Natsu's cologne on me.

I eased my way in the full tub. I had placed a fizzy soap tablet that made the entire bathroom smell like lavender.

I couldn't wait to see Natsu again. I was both nervous and excited. There was a swirl of emotions going on inside me.

I finished my bath and went to change. I wanted to wear something cute so that a certain roommate would see me. I fished out a red sleeveless sweater dress that hugged me in the right places. It had a turtleneck and the skirt barely stopped by my mid thighs. I paired it well with thigh high black socks and brown boots. I let my hair down this time and added a pink tint on my lips. I was adding a bit of mascara when I heard my phone ringing.

I didn't recognize the number.

"Uh, hello?"

"Are you Ms. Lucy Heartfilia?"

"This is she."

"Ma'am. This is Nurse Joyce. I'm calling from Magnolia Regional Hospital. Your father, Jude. He has been in a car accident. We are expecting the worst at this-"

I hung up. There was nothing else I needed to hear. I grabbed my purse and bolted out of my room.

"Lucy, where you rushing off too?" Juvia called out from the living room.

I ignored her. I just couldn't concentrate right now. All I needed was to get to the hospital. I had to see my dad. Everything that he and I have gone through was nothing anymore. He may have been a dick to me throughout most of my life. But he was my dad.

After my mom died when I was 10, I lost him too. That fateful day, I had lost two parents. That's how I always saw it. He was obsessed with overworking himself and drinking himself into oblivion when he was at home. I never had his affection. I started working when I was 16. So I could provide for myself. I didn't want to bother Natsu and his dad so much. I had lost contact with my dad when I moved out of the house. Barely speaking to each other. I know I was wrong for abandoning him but-...

I finally made it to the hospital in one piece. Which I felt was a miracle because of my frantic driving, go figure.

"I'm looking for Jude Heartfilia." I asked the lady at the front desk.

"Hello, sweetie. Let me check for you." I was impatient. I looked at the time on my phone. It was almost 4pm. I should text Natsu so he knows that I was going to be home late. I was typing up my text but my phone died in the middle of it. _Shit._

"He's in the emergency room, sweetie."

"Thanks." So, no room? Does that mean he's that bad? I really felt my eyes sting now. But still no tears came out. I finally found my way through the hospital maze and got in contact with one of the physicians.

As I stood in front of a curtain that had my father's bed behind it. My hand held the curtain but I was hesitant. What could I say?

"You can just go in." the female nurse gave me a small apologetic smile. Without hesitation, I went in.

My father was lying on the hospital bed, he had tubes coming out all over. His face was beat up and there was dried blood in his large beard. I couldn't help but cry now seeing him in that state. Everything else didn't matter.

"Dad?" my voice was hoarse as I tried to hold back my tears.

"L-Lucy?" he let out a wheeze. His voice was slightly muffled by the oxygen mask he had, "I didn't think you'd come."

That hurt.

"What happened?!" I stood next to his bed.

"I'm sorry, my Lucy. I-" he broke into a rough sounding cough, blood spewed out of his mouth, "Lucy, I don't have much time-..." he was taking jagged breaths.

Tears were flowing down my cheeks now, "papa! It's okay. Please don't talk. Save your breath. You're going to get better okay?" I knew what I said wasn't likely. The doctor had informed me the impact pierced his lungs and there wasn't much they could do as the damage was too severe. I placed my hand on his large one. The IV was cold against my sweaty palm.

"I'm sorry, my Lucy." he exhaled, "I-..." he broke into another loud cough. He gripped my hand with his. I couldn't bear to see him like this.

"I love you too, papa. I'm so sorry!" I cried, my other hand on my face, wiping my tears.

His coughs were getting worse and his heart rate had gone up exponentially. This time he cough wasn't stopping. I held his hand and that was just about all I could do as I heard his coughs slowly stop and the monitors began to beep.

He was gone.

Just like that. There was no hope of seeing him again. My dad was gone.

"Papa!" I yelled. My cheeks were flooded with my tears.

The doctor and nurse appeared beside us and spoke the date and time of his death. I felt the doctor place her hand on my shoulder. "I apologize for this. Can you sign some paperwork for us?"

After getting everything set up in the hospital, I had to prepare for his funeral. What a turn of events. The nurse informed me that he was drunk driving. Luckily, there had been no other vehicles involved and minor destruction of property.

I didn't even notice the time until I saw it on my cars car's dashboard as I was driving home, it was almost 9 PM. I drove home in silence, there was so much I had to do.

By the time I arrived home, my three friends were in the living room. They all looked really distraught.

"Lucy!" they all yelled in unison.

Natsu came running up to me from the couch and he laced his arms around me. His face buried in my shoulder. I stood there still numb from everything as my arms didn't leave my sides, my body was stiff at his sudden movement.

"You had us worried sick, ya know. What happened to you?" He let go when he noticed I didn't hug him back.

"Lucy, we've all been texting you all day." Juvia scolded me. Gray had a worried look as well.

"I'm sorry." I felt my eyes burn again. I thought I cried enough but I had more tears in me apparently. Seeing the worried look on my friends, reminded me that I was still loved. That I wasn't as alone as I felt earlier. I fell to my knees as my tears couldn't stop flowing again. My hand on my face as I tried to muffle my loud cries.

"Luce, what's wrong?" Natsu bent down.

"What happened?" Juvia asked.

"Is everything okay?" Gray joined.

"My- I was in the hospital," I swallowed thickly, "my dad. He passed away today." I barely managed to say roughly through jagged breaths.

I was comforted by my friends with sorry's and heartfelt words. I went through the details of his accident and what our last words were. Before long, Juvia and Gray had gone to sleep and Natsu stayed with me in the living room. We were sitting on the couch now. I was in a fetal position, me head resting on his thigh. His fingers ran through my hair. I didn't say anything and he stayed quiet too. I hadn't even realized I was falling asleep until Natsu woke me.

"Hey, let's get you to bed." he shook me softly.

"Okay." I said quietly and sat up. Natsu stood up and he carried me cradle style. "What are you-"

"I'll take you to your bed, okay?" I nodded.

He laid me on my bed and tucked me in. I felt my cheeks get hot when I felt a kiss on my forehead.

"Goodnight Lucy." he was about to leave but I held onto his shirt sleeve.

"Can you please stay with me?"I didn't want to be alone. Not tonight.

"Are ya sure?"

"Yes, please." I moved over to give him space to lay beside me. He eased his way in my bed and upon feeling his warmth, I lay my head on his chest and with sniffles and red puffy cheeks, I fell asleep in his comfort.

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**A/N: **Hello! I wasn't so happy with this. I sometimes just write as the ideas flow and this is what I came up with and for a while I wasn't happy with it because I was doubting myself and like I was dragging the story line, but I assure you, this has a purpose. I never thought I'd get such a following and I didn't want to disappoint you all. But I rather be true to what I come up with. After all, this was how I came up with this story in the first place. NALU is totally endgame and that's the most important part, right? Thank you all for the continued support and reviews are always welcome! -Rin


	14. I Love You

**A/N: **this chapter reminds me of this song called 'Hanging By A Moment by Lifehouse' it's like soft rock song. If ya wanna hear it while you read. :3

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Chapter 14: I Love You

As my eyes darted opened from the nightmare I was having. I was comforted by Natsu's light snoring and his pink hair tickling my chin. He was asleep using my chest as pillows while his arms were around me. I couldn't help but run my fingers through his hair. If it wasn't for him. I'd be really struggling right now. "Thank you..." I whispered as I kissed his head. I could feel him stirring as he mumbled something.

"What?"

"I said, I'm here for you. No matter what." he lifted his head to face me. I guess he heard me after all. That was supposed to be an intimate moment for myself. I could feel my face flush.

"You're the best."

"I can be," he gave me a toothy grin, his sleepy eyes shining.

Being this happy while just yesterday I lost my dad made me cry again. It felt wrong to be happy.

"Aww, don't cry babe." _Babe? _I instantly felt my cheeks flush through my tears. A snort creeped up from within me. How can he just surprise me like that? What the heck! I mean he used to call me babe back when guys would hit on me but-... but things were different now. He looked at me dumbfounded as I laughed.

"My, I think you've gone insane," Natsu shook his head with a smile, "hey Juvia, Gray, I think we've lost Lucy guys." he said softly. Not really to them but more towards me.

"How can you surprise me like that, you idiot!" I sat up and slapped him in the chest.

"I made you laugh, though." he snickered as he sat up to be at eye level with me.

I exhaled loudly. He really was something else. I hugged him as I breathed in his familiar scent of fresh cut pine, cinnamon and his shampoo. The same scent that had always seemed to calm me down at my worst moments and through all these years. For so long he had been my best friend and my home. To be here like this as something more was even more amazing. "I love you, Natsu." I sighed contentedly.

"I love you too, Lucy. So much." he ran his fingers through my hair and hugged me tighter.

I meant it as I loved him for being there for me, for being my friend all these years. For making me feel better when I was at my worst. But the revelation came to me as we sat in my bed entangled in each other's arms. I loved him. I loved everything about him and I wanted him to always be in my life. I could feel myself wanting to cry again but this time it was tears of joy.

"Don't worry me like that again." he said softly and pulled away his arms still around my waist, his gaze fixated on me.

"What do you mean?"

"Yesterday when you were gone all day without saying a word. I looked for you, ya know. Like last time… I was worried about ya."

"I know, yesterday I was going to text you but my phone died and I didn't think." I bit the inside of my cheek.

Natsu realized my inner turmoil and chuckled. His hand patting my head.

"It's okay. Now… I'm starving how about we get some grub?"

I managed to whip up some eggs and toast, while Natsu and I ate in silence. I had no idea what to strike as conversation. My mind was too preoccupied with the preparation for my dad's funeral and the idea of having to do all this was too overwhelming to say the least. I barely managed to eat bits of toast. He noticed my frustration and calmly asked, "do you want me to go with you?"

"Uh… If you want. I- actually, I would really like that." I held my coffee mug with both my hands. Feeling the warmth of the beverage. I could use a friend today. I was glad he asked first because I never would've. "thank you." I smiled halfheartedly.

Then again when he lost his dad I had been there with him the whole time. I guess he wanted to make up for that time.

Memories of that time flooded my mind. He was a mess when he found out his father passed. Almost like he couldn't believe it. At the time, he ignored me for a few days. I knew it was because he wanted to be alone to grieve in his own way. But I stood by him the entire time. Never leaving his side. When he noticed I was not budging he took me in and cried on my shoulder for hours until he was ready to put his father to rest.

"I requested to be off today so I'm all yours-" he blushed slightly at his choice of words, "I'm here for you." he said afterwards, rough large hands held my trembling ones.

…

Just like that he was there through everything. We arranged for my father to get cremated and he was holding my hand when we had to pick out his urn. When we had to set up a date for his service and to pick out the location of his ashes. In the midst of everything, three days had passed. Three agonizing days of self pity.

How I managed to get out of my house to head to a funeral home, I didn't know myself. My long black dress felt itchy against my sweaty skin. I was so glad I wasn't alone. Gray had offered to drive us there and I sat in the backseat of his sedan with Juvia holding my hand. Natsu kept looking back from the passenger seat with a small smile. His dark eyes telling me, "It's going to be okay."

At the service I was greeted and comforted by friends of my dad and family members I barely knew. Juvia had invited her friends, Levy and Gajeel who also gave me their condolences. I was just about at my wits end with all of this.

After everything had finished, Gray drove us home in silence. What was there to say. There were no more tears in my eyes.

When I arrived home it was me who rang our beer bell as I grabbed a cold can of Miller and gulped it down. My friends kind of stood there bewildered. I mean did I look that crazy?! This was my way of coping.

"What are you all just gonna stand there?" I grabbed another can and sat down on the couch. It was Gray who made the next move and grabbed a few more cans as we drank in the living room in fucking silence again.

"So, uh, I say we have pizza tonight. I don't feel like cooking." I said aloud.

"Yeah, I could go for some pizza!" Natsu responded first.

"Sure, pizza it is." Gray added. That left Juvia who still couldn't rid herself of the sad gaze she was giving me. My friend was perceptive for sure.

It wasn't until after a couple of beers when I relaxed. Everyone else also seemed to ease a bit as we talked about other things. We were talking about work and tidbits. Natsu and Gray were going on about some silly thing that happened during college and Juvia was quick to interject and defend her man through the bitter end. I laughed softly and joined in to defend Natsu from time to time.

I laid my head back on the couch and let out a loud exhale.

"Rest in peace, papa." I whispered. My eyes fixated the ceiling. I didn't think anyone heard me but Natsu placed his hand over mine. It was warm against my clammy skin. But it was an indication that things were going to be okay.

...

In a blink of an eye, it was December. The new month brought forth snow and changes. How Natsu and I have been doing, you ask? Our feelings were put on a slight hold. Not intentionally but things were so calm and I knew he was just trying to give me space. We had been more lovable than before but there were unspoken things. Maybe it was the weather or something else. But I was ready for more. He had been so patient with me. But I was beginning to get too impatient and I wanted things to be official between us.

The month my father passed I had days where'd I wake up crying. When I'd wake up from a nightmare, he was quick to wake me. I'd take him in my arms and he'd sleep in my bed, it helped me drift back to sleep as I reveled in his warmth and comfort. The bad dreams subsiding. It became a normal thing for us to sleep together actually.

Last night he'd come to my bed because he was cold. It was freezing out. The temperatures were at their lowest and we had our first snow. I was looking out the window one Saturday morning. The sky was a light gray and the snow was accumulating in the window panes. I felt Natsu get closer to me, his face burrowing in my neck.

"Good morning." I said quietly. He grumbled in his sleep.

"Come on sleepy head. I'm cold. I want some coffee."

"Then go make it." he mumbled.

"Fine, then get off me."

"No." he hugged me tighter and I giggled. Which made him look up at me with squinty eyes.

"You're laughing at my pain."

"What pain? Of being a lazy butt, yeah."

"Hmph." He pouted at me. I couldn't resist myself and I startled him with a kiss on his pouty lower lip. A quick kiss that had more significance than we wanted to admit. We hadn't kissed since well, our confession. It had been far too long. His eyes went wide at my move making me feel embarrassed. Maybe I startled him too much. But he eased himself up to meet my face and he kissed me back softly almost as if testing the waters.

I kissed him back desperately, a hand caressed his cheek. He licked my lower lip softly and I complied in parting my lips to give him space to explore the rest of my mouth, his body was halfway on top of mine, one leg tucked neatly in between both my legs. We were hardcore making out. Our tongues and lips interlocked. He kept one arm to prop himself and the other stayed safely on my waist, that is until I grabbed his hand and tucked it under my shirt.

He had to stop kissing me and looked at me as if it was okay. I nodded and a slight whimper escaped my mouth as his warm hands played with my one of my peaks. He sucked on my lower lip and caught my next gasp as he massaged my breast. His mouth easing back into mines again.

We would've probably kept going but we heard our roommates wake up. Not that we were trying to keep our relationship private but we didn't even know what we had. More than friends but definitely not friends with benefits. There were more feelings involved. We sat up trying to collect ourselves from that heated moment. I went to sit in my vanity to brush my bedhead so that I can get ready for work when I felt Natsu come up from behind. His laced his arms around my waist. I basked in his embrace and looked at him through the mirror. His nose nuzzled in my ear as he softly kissed my neck and in the sweetest voice he whispered, "I love you so much, Luce." and in that moment I was putty in his arms.

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**A/N: **Hi! So what did you think? There's always a rainbow after a storm. I love this chapter a lot. I hope you guys did too! If ya did please tell me and review! See ya soon for the next one :D -Rin


	15. Revealed

**A/N: **Warning! Sexy stuffs ahead! Enjoy~

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Chapter 15: Revealed

I liked winter, I did. But I was more of a spring kind of girl. Today was just kicking me in the butt. The customers had been cranky and cold. My work shift was hectic to say the least and I still had a few hours in this shithole, then again it was Saturday. But I needed money! Especially, because I wanted to buy Christmas presents for all of my friends. I was falling behind too since Christmas was less than a week away.

I wanted to make sure that this year was going to be the best. This year had been pretty crazy to say the least. I never expected for things to turn out like this. In the beginning of the year I was still with Laxus. Honestly I thought things were perfectly fine between us. I never expected for my father to pass away either. Also, if you told me a year ago that I'd be dating my best friend, I'd say, "you're a freaking liar," and yet here I was in this predicament. I mean, just yesterday we were making out in the living room, like hardcore. We had to stop completely when we heard our roommates unlocking the front door. I still wasn't sure what we were hiding. In my case, I just didn't want to hear the "I told you so!" even though, I knew that they knew something.

We were pretty reserved, though. Not like them. Since the beginning of Gray and Juvia's relationship or rather before they even formed anything they were already banging headboards and Juvia was pretty vocal. I, on the other hand was still not on that level yet. I haven't really put much thought into it. I swore to myself that I would wait until marriage and I intended in keeping my abstinence. But, I have to admit, I've been tempted. More than once. I've never felt like that with anyone before.

When I was a little girl before my mother died, she would tell me stories of how she met my father when she was a teenager and how he was her first love. I wanted that for myself. I mean at the age of 25, I've fallen in love probably three times. So, that was out of the question. But I was going to at least make sure my first time is with my last love.

Admittedly, I wanted Natsu to be my last love. I knew we barely just started something but we have so much history that, the time we had now in just exploring this new side of things was trivial.

I was too busy swooning over that pink-haired weirdo that I hadn't realized I was totally out of it because Cana came up to me and asked me a question that I didn't even hear.

"Huh?" I was leaning on the register counter looking out the window. The busy shoppers walking outside in the plaza.

"Girl, I said, what are you doing for Christmas? Jeez, stop daydreaming about Natsu."

"Oh," I blushed and turned my head in her direction, "I'm just going to spend it at home with Natsu. Like every year. What about you?" I smiled.

This year was going to be different though because we bought matching pajamas and we were going to have a Christmas movie marathon. Totally my decision. But he obliged when I said I was going to make a large batch of sugar cookies just for us. Juvia and Gray always spent it with their families, except this year, Juvia was going to Gray's house to meet his parents. And well we didn't have family. We were our only family now. Natsu did have an older brother who moved westward after graduation and he didn't have a relationship with him much anymore. In my case, when my dad was alive, we never celebrated anything together. And just because things with my best friend were different now, we weren't going to change how we celebrated things together.

"I'm actually going to take my boyfriend to meet my dad. Wish me luck! Good luck to you too, I'm betting someone's getting a very special gift card for Christmas! A V-card!" she cackled. I could feel my face flush.

"That's great, Cana. I'm glad things are going well with your new man, you definitely look happier." I smiled and then rolled my eyes, "and stop it! I'm keeping my v-card, thanks!"

"Oh, you know you want to, though." She laughed at her joke throughout the whole day and I barely made it out there without dying of embarrassment.

...

I had finally made it home after my shift and Natsu wasn't even at home. Juvia and Gray had probably already left for the holidays. I got out my phone from my bag and called him after a few rings he answered.

"Yo, Lucy!"

"Where'd you go?"

"I'm running a few errands. Will probably be home in an hour or so. You're home already?"

"Yeah, but it's okay. I'll take a hot bath and wait for you, so we can have dinner together."

"Save some hot water for me, 'kay?"

"What?!"

He broke into laughter, "I'm just kidding. I'll text you when I'm on my way home."

"Okay, bye."

He was always like that. Making jokes and making me flustered. More than I wanted to admit.

I took a hot bath and reveled in it for a bit. By the time, I had gotten out. I was still thinking dirty thoughts. I was sitting in my bed with my towel draped over and on impulse, my right hand found its way to my vagina. I had Natsu's dick print on my mind and the thought of him slamming me into the wall was helping my fantasy. I removed my towel and spread my legs on my bed. I rubbed myself and let out a loud moan as I inserted both fingers. I groaned a bit too loudly. At least I was home alone or so I thought before I was rudely interrupted.

"Hey Lucy, I'm home!" Natsu opened my bedroom door. I gasped loudly, my finger still inside me. I didn't even hear him come in through the front door.

"Luce, I- uh, I'm sorry." He was staring at my womanhood all out in the open. My legs still spread apart. I quickly closed them. He got closer to my bed and with his hands on my knees he spread my legs as he inspected me. His eyes fixated on my wet sex. It's like all sense of logic was gone from his dilated pupils. He sat in front of me and I stared at him longingly. His index finger traced the folds of my entrance. I spread my legs more in acceptance to his teasing. He began to rub my bud. I arched my back in delight. This got him excited as he rubbed faster. Using his other hand, he inserted his index finger inside, making me moan with pleasure. After a few strokes. He used two fingers instead. His other hand still rubbing my clit. I cried in pain and delight. "Oh shit." The words escaped my mouth. He kept this motion going. "Don't stop please." I exhaled. This made him go faster. I convulsed as I came in his hand. He took out his fingers and stuck them in his mouth. "You taste delicious." He said in a raspy voice. Something about him eating my cum just turned me on even more. I was half expecting for Natsu and I to do it then and there. But, he stood up instead and looked up at me in disbelief at what he did. We hadn't gone to that point in our "relationship" yet.

"Ugh, fuck, I'm sorry..." he was walking away now.

"Wait," I clenched my fists, "don't leave." I made him stop in tracks and his whole body turned towards me. I walked towards him and I hugged him. Despite the fact that he had been outside, his body was surprisingly warm in his sweater and jeans.

"Please, I-" he looked down at me dumbfounded, his arms still stuck to his sides, like he was afraid to hold me. Could it be because he wouldn't be able to control himself? More importantly, did I want him to hold back? Because right now, I was more than willing.

"Kiss me." I said softly, my eyes meeting his.

We stood there in my doorway, lips interlocked, until I directed him towards my bed, closing my door with a kick. I was way past the point of being coy.

I sat down on my bed dragging him with me our lips still stuck together. My fingers fumbled with his sweater. He let go of my lips and stood up to remove his layers of clothing until he was just in his jeans. He looked at me hungrily. This was the first time I was completely naked in front of him like this, it hadn't dawned on me until now.

He bent down again and began to kiss my neck, one hand fondled one of my breasts. I gasped when I felt his tongue graze my erect peak. His whole demeanor changed from shy to ravenous and I felt that with every fondle and lick. My body feeling on fire.

"Fuck, Luce you're so freaking sexy." his breath hitched, leaving trails of kisses down my abdomen. The lower he got, the harder I groaned under him. Until he finally reached the spot that was aching for his touch again. I moaned loudly, his thumb lightly rubbing my bead.

"N-natsu-" I gasped. His tongue was doing amazing things. His rhythmic licking had me wrapping my legs around his head, grabbing fistfuls of pink hair. My back arched as the feeling intensified. His finger made his way into my entrance with a steady motion. I was gasping for air, every breath I took felt euphoric until I couldn't hold it anymore, the momentum he was building within me finally released with a loud moan, my hips buckled up and I came once more under him.

I heard him groan and suck on my entrance. "I want you so bad." he licked his lips and went to kiss me. I kissed him back feverishly and stopped to catch my breath. "But, I will wait until you're ready." he smiled and laid next to me.

"Thank you, you're amazing." I said between breaths. I nuzzled against his chest. "I want to make you feel-..." I was interrupted by a rattle in the kitchen. My eyes went wide.

"Is someone home?" I looked up at Natsu. He was also shocked.

"I don't know. I thought Gray and Juvia left already?"

"Damn it, love!" we heard Juvia outside.

My face flushed completely. Oh my God. Were they listening to us?

"Gosh, this is so embarrassing." I hid my face in his chest and Natsu laughed.

"I guess we got our payback for all those times we heard those jerks, huh, Luce?"

"No! It's embarrassing!" I got up and ran to get some clothes. Natsu put his shirt and sweater back on.

"I'm going to go confront the eavesdroppers. You comin'?"

"No!" I yelled as I was throwing a sweater over my head. "no, thank you!"

"Aw, come on baby!" he grabbed me by my wrist and dragged me out. That jerk!

There they were our roommates pretending to be busy watching TV on the couch.

"Oh! You guys are home?" Juvia tried to play it off. Gray was silently hiding a smirk.

"Alright, you caught us." he said and walked me over to the loveseat, he was still holding my hand. My head was hanging in shame as we sat down across from them.

"So, how long have you two been boning now?" Gray chuckled making his girlfriend laugh.

I looked up angrily at the two with heated cheeks, "none of your business!"

"I thought you both left to your parents home?" Natsu asked Gray.

"We leave tomorrow. I see you want to get rid of us already so you can go back to what you were doing." Juvia said sarcastically.

"Juvia!" I hissed.

"I'm just kidding, Lu. You guys are hilarious." she looked at Gray, "I guess I won the bet."

"What bet?!" Natsu and I said in unison.

"Juve and I bet that you both were going to get together. But I said it will happen in the beginning of next year and Juvia said the end of the year. So I guess I lost." the raven-haired man frowned.

"Serves you right, ya pervy fucker!" Natsu laughed.

"You two were the ones who were just caught. I'm not the pervert now, hot breath!" Gray stood up.

"A pervert is always a pervert, popsicle princess." Natsu stood up in front of Gray.

"You must have a death wish." their faces were really close now as they screamed at each other.

"Are you two going to make out or what?" Juvia said in amusement, "You don't want me as a love rival, Natsu. I'll fight you."

The two quickly separated which resulted in laughter from me and Juvia. The two men calmed down and we decided to enjoy each other's company with some chinese food and liquor before our friends left for the holidays.

After dinner and a few drinks. Natsu, Juvia and I were pretty drunk. Gray had opted out for being the lookout since their flight was early in the morning.

"My parents are going to think I'm dating an alcoholic." the black-haired man shook his head.

"I'm not an alcoholic," my friend wailed, "I wanted to celebrate Lucy and Natsu's relationship with them!" she raised her arms and did a little dance.

"But we're not even dating yet." I said drunkenly, I was sitting on the living room floor with my legs crossed.

"Shit! Lucy you're right! I'm such an asshole!" Natsu stood up from the floor and ran to the kitchen. He reappeared with a half empty bottle of tequila and bent down on one knee in front of me, his arms outstretched with the bottle.

"Hey, Luce! Will ya be my girlfriend?" he was totally drunk but I was too as I took the bottle from his hands and nodded. At this moment, that was the sweetest thing ever.

"Yes, come and hug me you big lug." He sat down next to me and slammed me on the living room carpet floor. I felt a soft kiss on my temple and his arms around my waist.

"What even kind of fucking weird ass proposal was that?!" the sober Gray groaned.

"I thought it was romantic!" Juvia giggled.

* * *

**A/N: **Hi! This chapter was intense and then cute at the end! I hope y'all liked them lemons. *winks with both eyes* Leave me a review for more sour shit. And also thank you all for reading and reviewing! -Rin


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